SPECIES GUIDE
Identify British wildlife
Profiles for some of the UK’s most iconic and beloved species
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Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Distinguished by its forked rusty red tail, the red kite was successfully reintroduced and now commonly soars over the Chilterns and Welsh valleys
Recovering
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European Hedgehog
Erinaceus europaeus
Britain’s only spiny mammal. Sadly in decline — numbers have fallen by a third since 2000. Active at dusk, especially after rain in gardens and hedgerows
Declining
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Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arctica
Comical seabirds nesting in cliff-top colonies from May to August. Best seen on Skomer Island, Bempton Cliffs, and the Farne Islands
Vulnerable
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Red Deer
Cervus elaphus
Britain’s largest land mammal. The autumn rut — stags bellowing and clashing antlers — is one of the most dramatic wildlife spectacles in the UK
Common
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Peacock Butterfly
Aglais io
One of Britain’s most recognisable butterflies, named for its vivid eye spots. Hibernates over winter and often among the first butterflies seen each spring
Common
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Common Bluebell
Hyacinthoides non-scripta
The iconic spring woodland flower carpeting ancient woods from April to May. Britain holds around half the world population and it is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act
Protected
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Eurasian Otter
Lutra lutra
Once near extinct in England due to pesticide pollution, otters have made a remarkable recovery and are now found on rivers across all of Britain
Recovering
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Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnus
A magnificent winter visitor from Iceland arrives in October. Distinguished from the mute swan by its yellow and black bill and bugling call
Winter visitor