New Delhi: After Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, and Queen Elizabeth II, a new cohort will be joining the celebrated group of those featured on the UK banknotes—puffins, bumblebees, or owls.
The Bank of England, on 3 June, asked the public to help select UK wildlife to appear on the new banknote series. In a statement, the financial agency said they had worked with a panel of wildlife experts from across the UK to produce a shortlist of animals that could become the central image on the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes.
The selected animals have been divided into three categories: mammals, birds, and amphibians, insects and fish, with a total of 18 animals available for selection.
The selection criteria state that individuals can select up to two examples from each category until 3 July.
The bank further said that they were not looking for alternative animals. Victoria Cleland, Bank of England Chief Cashier, said that the shortlisted animals demonstrate the “rich variety of wildlife” in the UK.
The Bank of England announced the theme in March 2026. That same month, they also stated that household pets would not be included as part of the options.
The first such novelty series was produced in September 2016. The current series of banknotes represents each of the Home Nations with a shield that appears on all four denominations.
Also Read: 5 times David Attenborough changed how we see the world
The wildlife theme
The bank announced in July 2025 that a new series of banknotes would be launched to increase counterfeit resilience. The bank said that the wildlife imagery will provide “an opportunity to celebrate another important aspect of the UK.”
The mammals included in the list are the bottlenose dolphin, the brown hare, the European hedgehog, the grey seal, the pine marten and the red fox.
The Atlantic puffin, the barn owl, the common kingfisher, the Eurasian curlew, the great spotted woodpecker, and the white-tailed eagle are the selections available under birds.
The section of amphibians, insects and fish includes the Atlantic salmon, the basking shark, the buff-tailed bumblebee, the common frog, the Emperor dragonfly, and the marsh fritillary butterfly.
The decision to feature wildlife on the banknotes in place of several national leaders, such as Churchill, has received widespread condemnation from the public.
British politician Nigel Farage criticised the Bank of England’s decision. In a post on X, he wrote, “The Bank of England is replacing Winston Churchill with a picture of a beaver on our banknotes. This is the definition of woke.”
Farage went on to call the decision “loony” and “absolutely crackers.”
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, also said it was “a silly thing to do.”