British wildlife

Meet some of the birds you're likely to spot in your garden during the colder months of the year.

Take our quiz to find out how familiar you are with the UK's plants and animals and their strategies for surviving winter.

Follow our simple guide to building a bird feeder for your garden from a reused plastic bottle.

Find out what makes Britain's towns and cities so appealing to red foxes and if they deserve the bad rap they receive.

Putting up a nesting box could be a big help to your local birds. Our simple design is ideal for small songbirds and sparrows.

Explore facts about this red-breasted festive icon.

It's not just foxes, rats and pigeons in the concrete jungle.

If you see a snake blink at you, it's not a snake.

Get tips on urban birdwatching and discover what you could see - including birds of prey and parakeets.

This simple DIY insect hotel is perfect for ladybirds looking for somewhere to hibernate in winter.

Explore the importance of urban wildlife with David Lindo, upcoming Wildlife Photographer of the Year judge and the Urban Birder. 

They cover an enormous area of the UK and are home to many rare and declining wild plants, insects, amphibians and more.

Centuries of farming, building and industry have made the UK one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe.

Enthusiasm for beekeeping in the UK's major cities is threatening other local wildlife, according to a new report.

Help local wildlife, see more stars and get better rest - just a few compelling reasons to join the dark side.

The first official red list for British mammals has been produced.

The biggest threat to marine life in Britain isn't plastic bottles - it's fishing gear.

A proposed plan to mechanically dredge kelp in Scotland would destroy a unique habitat.

The illegal trade of European eels is worth up to £3.5 billion a year.

Microplastics are having an enormous impact.

Climate change could bring an end to algae and seaweed.

More than 90% of British butterflies emerge earlier in years with a warm spring or summer - potentially too early for the plants they eat.

How people power is saving plants from local extinction in North West England.

Otters are sprainting the town red (well, black) and are being spotted in city rivers across the UK.

One of Britain's most threatened mammals is being given a boost.

The two-year project will help conserve rare plants and invertebrates.

It is illegal to harm beavers or destroy their lodges and dams.

It has been 230 years since they were declared extinct in England.

Experts argue that changing the way we use land could help bees even more.

The rodents are being reintroduced in the hope of starting a new colony.

Scientists found that smaller bee species with shorter flight seasons are especially at risk in human-dominated areas.

A study reveals citizen science programmes support conservation in multiple ways.

A tiny rust fungus could save the UK millions by halting the spread of the Himalayan balsam.

Follow our simple guide to building a bird feeder for your garden from a reused plastic bottle.

Making Sun prints is a fun activity that can turn leaves and flowers into simple but distinctive artworks.

Want to find out what small creatures are crawling around your garden? Follow our steps to set up a simple pitfall trap.

The best places to hang out with bats and how to take them under your wing.

Put on a butterfly buffet and watch these intriguing insects feeding.

Frogs and toads are often spotted in UK gardens, but some are struggling. Find out how you can help.

Attract bees to your lawn with clover, grow a mini wildflower meadow, add areas of aromatic thyme and more ideas.

Find out how to help urban nature and attract more wildlife to your garden.

Have you ever wondered what wildlife wanders through your garden when you're not watching?

Follow our instructions to make a simple hedgehog home. 

Getting into wildlife photography? Boost your game with hints from Wildlife Photographer of the Year finalists.

What nocturnal insects will you find where you live?

Follow our simple instructions to prepare pressed flowers for craft projects or create your own plant herbarium.

Filling your garden with insects will make your flowerbeds beautiful and support biodiversity. Ecologist Larissa Cooper explains how.

Wildlife photographer Ugo Mellone reveals why the key to capturing a shot to be proud of is closer than you think.

Keeping a nature journal is a great way to record any nature you see.

Scale parasite flies, of a new fly family for Britain, have been found in the Museum's Wildlife Garden.

In autumn they seek somewhere to hibernate.

A Museum expert explains how this invasive species could cause big problems for beekeepers in Britain.

The Forestry Commission issues annual alerts about toxic oak processionary moth caterpillars in London.

Scientists believe that the arrival of just one more ash dieback spore could kill off Europe's remaining ash trees.

The arrival of a tiny moth in the Wildlife Garden sparked a scientific search of London.

An invasive species of European beetle has been found preying on pear trees in Kent orchards.

A bee species more commonly found in continental Europe has been spotted in Britain for the first time.

Scientists ask the public to look out for a new alien pest after the first sightings in Britain.

A tiny rust fungus could save the UK millions by halting the spread of the Himalayan balsam.

Experts think it is likely that the beluga came from the direction of Svalbard off Norway. 

A new British bee has turned out to be an overlooked, long-time resident.

A chemist who collects insects as a pastime has spotted what generations of British entomologists have missed: a native British beetle, living in ancient Scottish pine forests.

The first complete blue marlin specimen to wash up on UK shores and be recovered in full has a new home at the Museum.

Check out these flamboyant flyers who are challenging moths' drab reputation with style.

Discover the bioluminescent beetles putting on night-time light shows in Britain.

Get the facts on when and why ants grow wings and swarm.

Wasps and humans may have a rocky relationship. But should these insects be revered rather than feared?

It has a hairy body, orange fan-like antennae and eats roots. Watch the video to find out more.

Discover some standout British beetles, including a particularly vibrant ladybird and a rare rainbow-coloured leaf beetle.

Meet the beetles that were unexpectedly found in Cambridgeshire, despite having been extinct in Britain for thousands of years.

Most social wasps aren't fussy when it comes to finding a spot to settle down.

Discover the microscopic dimensions of the smallest moths on the planet.

Drowsy caterpillars are transforming into moths with a cunning skill - producing their own cyanide. 

Museum scientist and champion of earthworms Emma Sherlock shares her passion for these vital invertebrates.

Spiders may seem scary, but most of them are just looking for love. Read some dating profiles of spiders searching for the perfect mate.

Otters are sprainting the town red (well, black) and are being spotted in city rivers across the UK.

The best places to hang out with bats and how to take them under your wing.

Get the facts on this garden favourite.

The first official red list for British mammals has been produced.

Discover what happened to a rare bat that found itself in a high street shop.

Find out what makes Britain's towns and cities so appealing to red foxes and if they deserve the bad rap they receive.

Join us on a 360° loch-side walk in Knapdale to look for signs of beavers and learn more about these ecosystem engineers.

More grey seal pups are being born on British coastlines than ever.

Experts think it is likely that the beluga came from the direction of Svalbard off Norway. 

Find out how these arboreal rodents use their whiskers to navigate at night.

The rodents are being reintroduced in the hope of starting a new colony.

Museum scientist Rebecca Lyal shares her experiences studying whale and dolphin strandings along the British coast.

Meet some of the birds you're likely to spot in your garden during the colder months of the year.

Find out about some of the birds you're likely to see and hear in parks and gardens. 

Get tips on urban birdwatching and discover what you could see - including birds of prey and parakeets.

Find out about this ghostly silent, night-time hunter.

Find out facts about this sociable bird.

Explore facts about this red-breasted festive icon.

Follow our simple guide to building a bird feeder for your garden from a reused plastic bottle.

Would a pigeon in London sound the same as a pigeon in Birmingham?

Explore facts about this huge shark - which can open its mouth up to a metre wide - including where you might see one in the UK.

With armoured bodies, curly tails and limited swimming ability, seahorses are a group of fish quite unlike any other.

Although most sharks give birth to live young, a few lay oddly shaped eggs that occasionally wash up on beaches.

Microplastics are having an enormous impact.

Discover the most common trees in Britain's towns and cities and what helps them to thrive in an urban environment.

Follow our simple instructions to prepare pressed flowers for craft projects or create your own plant herbarium.

Find out which plants will encourage colourful visitors to your garden.

Scientists believe that the arrival of just one more ash dieback spore could kill off Europe's remaining ash trees.

Dr Mark Spencer explains why it's important to find out.

Discover the flowers that go to extraordinary lengths to attract insect pollinators.

You don’t have to go to exotic locations to see weird and wonderful wildlife.

A tiny rust fungus could save the UK millions by halting the spread of the Himalayan balsam.

Climate change could bring an end to algae and seaweed.

Professor Juliet Brodie explains why seaweed forests are so important to coastlines all over the world.

Beachgoers are being asked to become scientists to help gather important data about British seaweeds.

The common British seaweed Irish moss displays a blue shine using unique structures that bend light, according to a new study.

Like small signposts, lichens can tell us a lot about the air we are breathing. 

Scientists believe that the arrival of just one more ash dieback spore could kill off Europe's remaining ash trees.

A tiny rust fungus could save the UK millions by halting the spread of the Himalayan balsam.

Fungi expert Mark Spencer reveals striking examples of fungi that flourish in towns and cities.

Have you ever noticed the small mounds of sand on a beach at low tide? These are lugworm poos, and they hold a secret.

Want to explore the life lurking in seashore rock pools? Find out what you need and what you might see.

More grey seal pups are being born on British coastlines than ever.

Climate change could be behind the increase.

It has been a record year for cetacean sightings in the waters around Britain.

Thousands of sea creatures blanketed the beach in Kent in one of the biggest mass strandings on record in the UK.

The rediscovery of early twentieth century photographs in the Museum collections has led to an innovative artistic collaboration.

Museum scientists travelled to the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, to collect fresh specimens to improve our collections.