These are some of the rarer species that call London their home.  All the species in this section are under threat and most are currently on the London Biodiversity Action Plan.

Bats In Britain there are sixteen species of bat, of which several can be found across London. Bats have been sighted in all the London boroughs and the small pipistrelle in particular maintains populations in the inner London boroughs.

 

Black redstart With less than 100 pairs nesting in Britain, the black redstart is a rarer British breeding bird than the osprey or golden eagle. London is one of the UK's most important locations for this species.

Frogs and toads The spread of London's urban environment has led to the destruction of the vast majority of the ponds that existed in the region. The survival of London’s amphibians has been severely threatened by this loss.

Hedgehog  Hedgehogs were long cited as an urban success story, but recent research points to an alarming decline in Britain's numbers. It appears that London's hedgehogs are disappearing, but the cause of this decline remains something of a mystery.

 

House sparrow Once a common bird in London, the rate of decline of the cockney sparrow is truly alarming. House sparrow populations decreased in London by as much as 59 per cent in the seven years between 1994 and 2001 according to a national survey.

 

Peregrine falcon The fastest bird in the world, peregrine falcons have been seen occasionally in and around London for many years, but since the late 1990s peregrines have been a regular sight above the skies of the capital.

 

Stag beetle The stag beetle is a globally threatened species but, perhaps surprisingly, London is nationally important for the population it supports.  It is common in hotspots in south and west London.

 

Water vole Britain's largest vole found fame in the Wind in the Willlows, but 'ratties' have declined at an alarming rate over the last 100 years.  American mink has been largely responsible for its recent decline, although water voles do still thrive in some parts of the capital.