# Wildlife theme selected for next Bank of England note series
Britain's central bank has settled on a wildlife theme for the reverse of its forthcoming £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes. An Atlantic puffin, a barn owl, a buff-tailed bumblebee and a European hedgehog will each become the main image for one denomination.
The choice follows a public consultation built around a shortlist of 18 creatures assembled by wildlife specialists. A total of 478,531 participants cast more than 2.5 million votes. The bumblebee led the voting with 360,399 selections, while the barn owl and hedgehog won their respective categories.
The puffin was not the highest-ranked bird, but officials chose it as the most popular marine animal. They said it would broaden the range represented, celebrate the British coastline and help make the denominations easier to distinguish. The allocation of individual animals to specific note values has not yet been decided.
The redesign marks a significant change in the visual language of this currency. The reverse sides of the current notes carry Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, JMW Turner and Alan Turing. When the new series enters circulation, it will be the first since 1970 whose reverse does not feature prominent historical people. The monarch will remain on the other side.
The announcement is an early design decision, not an imminent currency change. Officials still have to develop the artwork, test materials and incorporate security and accessibility requirements. Incoming chief cashier Rhys Phillips said that process could take years and that final designs would be presented closer to launch. Nature elements beyond the four lead animals may also appear.
The institution linked the replacement cycle to anti-counterfeiting work. Chief cashier Victoria Cleland said the selected creatures reflected the variety of UK wildlife while also supporting improvements to note security. That technical rationale comes amid political criticism of removing Churchill and the other figures from the series.
Wildlife already appears on some sterling notes issued by commercial banks in Scotland, including designs featuring otters, red squirrels, osprey and mackerel. The new decision is specifically about currency issued by the Bank of England, which circulates across England and Wales and is widely used elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
For the public, nothing changes immediately: existing notes remain in circulation and no launch timetable has been announced. The next phase is a lengthy production program in which the selected species will be translated from consultation subjects into durable, recognizable and secure designs.
