Bank of England chooses puffin, owl, bumblebee and hedgehog for future notes

The Bank of England has chosen the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog for its next series of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, the BBC reported on 7 October 2026. Each animal will appear on a different denomination, but the Bank has not said which will go on which note. The decision gives the public its first confirmed subjects for a redesign that is still years from circulation.

The selection follows a public consultation in which more than 2.5 million votes were cast by 478,531 people, according to figures reported by the BBC. The Bank chose wildlife as the series’ theme earlier this year. Its consultation material says the new notes must remain easy to distinguish and will include updated security features.

How the four banknote animals were chosen

The Bank published a shortlist of 18 animals in June, divided into mammals, birds, and a third group covering amphibians, insects and fish. People could choose up to two animals from each group between 3 June and 3 July. The shortlist included other familiar species, among them the red fox, common kingfisher and Atlantic salmon.

The barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog topped their respective categories, the BBC reported. The bumblebee received 360,399 votes, nearly 90,000 more than the barn owl. The Atlantic puffin was the most popular marine animal. The Bank said it included the puffin to bring variety to the series, help people tell denominations apart and represent the British coastline.

Victoria Cleland, the Bank’s chief cashier, said the four chosen animals show the variety of UK wildlife and would enhance banknote security. Her statement connects the imagery to the Bank’s broader purpose for the redesign: producing a new series that people can recognise and use with confidence.

What will appear on the new £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes

Each of the four animals will be the central image on one denomination. The Bank has yet to assign them to the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, and final designs have not been released. The BBC reported that other elements from nature may appear alongside the central images, potentially including animals from the shortlist.

The monarch will continue to appear on the other side of the notes, according to the Bank. The wildlife images will replace the historical figures used on the current series. Choosing the animals therefore settles one prominent part of the design while leaving their placement and the wider appearance of each note open.

The Bank’s consultation material also stressed that the four denominations need to be readily distinguishable. That consideration helps explain why the final set includes animals from different settings, including a marine bird. It does not establish how any particular note will look: the Bank has described the design work as being at an early stage.

When the wildlife banknotes could enter circulation

There is no announced circulation date. The Bank describes the next series as a multi-year undertaking involving design, testing and printing. It says the notes must be high-quality, resilient and accessible, as well as incorporate the latest anti-counterfeiting technology. The animal announcement is therefore a design decision, not the launch of new cash.

Incoming chief cashier Rhys Phillips told the BBC that the Bank would work to design, test and produce the notes using the announced imagery together with security features and materials science. He said the process could take years, with designs unveiled closer to launch. The Bank has not yet published the finished appearance of any denomination.

For people who use cash, the immediate change is knowledge of which animals have been selected, rather than a change to the notes in their wallets. The remaining decisions include the animal assigned to each denomination, the completed designs and the date the series will be issued. The Bank’s stated design and testing process must take place before those notes can enter circulation.