Puffin, owl, bee and hedgehog chosen for next banknote series
Four native British species will feature on the next series of Bank of England banknotes after 478,531 people voted in a public consultation. The puffin, barn owl, bumblebee and hedgehog were selected across three wildlife categories.
Over two million votes cast
The selection concluded a consultation in which 478,531 respondents cast 2,549,003 votes across 18 shortlisted candidates.
The buff-tailed bumblebee secured the most backing overall with 360,399 votes, while the barn owl led the bird category with 270,596 votes and the European hedgehog topped mammals with 259,665. The Bank of England added the Atlantic puffin, which received 183,137 votes, to ensure representation for marine environments and coastal wildlife.
Chief Cashier Victoria Cleland noted that the strong engagement demonstrated “that cash still matters.”
Denomination assignments will follow later in the design cycle, alongside the continuing portrait of the monarch.
A break with historic portraits
The shift to wildlife ends a convention established in 1970 of featuring notable historical figures on British currency.
The current Series G notes depict Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, JMW Turner and Alan Turing.
Nature became the chosen theme following a July 2025 consultation where 60 percent backed the concept.
Despite declining transactional usage, cash in circulation climbed to £91.5 billion by February 2026.
Incoming Chief Cashier Rhys Phillips assumes responsibility on October 19, 2026.
Charming distraction, fading utility
Fronting banknotes with popular fauna is clever public relations that distracts from the rapid decline of physical cash.
A visual refresh does nothing to halt the closure of bank branches and cash points across the country.
Charming wildlife cannot reverse the structural shift toward digital transactions.