When conservationists talk about Red List species, they’re referring to plants and animals at risk of decline or extinction. In 2023, Wiltshire’s Critical Species Project identified the species for which the county has a particular responsibility for conservation, many of which also appear on national Red Lists.

While familiar species such as hedgehogs and toads have rightly received attention, Wiltshire’s list also includes a far wider range of wildlife, from bats that roost under loose bark to orchids that deceive insects. What links them is not what they look like, but the habitats they depend on.

Here are just a few of Wiltshire’s lesser-known species in need of local conservation efforts.

The Wiltshire Wildlife Web

The Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina)

UK BAP* status: Priority Species

Despite its regal name, the Duke of Burgundy isn’t a nobleman but one of Britain’s rarest butterflies. Once widespread across Southern England, it’s now confined to scattered colonies on species-rich grasslands.

Wiltshire’s chalk downlands provide some of the habitat this butterfly depends on, making the county an important stronghold for its future. As a specialist of flower-rich grassland, it also acts as an indicator of high-quality chalk habitat. 

Click here to see the Duke of Burgundy factfile.

Great Bustard (Otis tarda)

IUCN** Red List: Endangered

Standing over a metre tall and weighing up to 18 kilograms, the Great Bustard is Britain’s heaviest flying bird. As a large ground-nesting species, it is closely tied to extensive open farmland and grassland landscapes.

Driven to extinction in the UK during the nineteenth century, it now survives thanks to an ambitious reintroduction programme by the Great Bustard Group. Wiltshire is the only place in the country where people have a realistic chance of seeing one, with only around 70 Great Bustards in Britain. 

The Great Bustard Group is on a mission to save these incredible birds, read more on their website: greatbustard.org/the-uk-great-bustard-population/

Barbastelle Bat (Barbastella barbastellus)

UK BAP status: Priority Species
IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The Barbastelle is one of Britain’s rarest bats and can be surprisingly picky about where it lives, favouring old woodland, using cracks and crevices beneath loose bark as roosting sites.

Native to Southern England, Wiltshire supports nationally important populations of Barbastelles, making the protection of ancient woodland particularly valuable for this night-flyer. By feeding almost exclusively on moths, it plays an important role in keeping woodland insect populations in balance. 

Read more on our species page.

Fly Orchid (Ophrys insectifera)

Great Britain and England Vascular Plant Red List: Vulnerable

One of Britain's most unusual wildflowers, the Fly Orchid’s flowers mimic female insects, attracting male wasps that inadvertently pollinate the plant as they investigate. Through this highly specialised pollination strategy, it’s part of a wider network of insect interactions within grassland ecosystems.

This odd orchid grows on chalk grasslands and woodland edges, habitats that have declined across much of the country. Wiltshire's chalk landscapes, such as our Morgan’s Hill Nature Reserve, provide important refuge for the species, helping ensure this curious plant remains part of our county's flora. 

Learn more about this fascinating plant.

Stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)

UK BAP status: Priority Species
Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021). Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.

Despite its name, the Stone-curlew is neither a curlew nor particularly fond of stones. With its striking yellow eyes and secretive nature, it is one of Britain's most unusual birds.

After suffering severe historic declines, the Stone-curlew has become one of Britain's conservation success stories. Thanks to decades of collaboration between conservationists, farmers and landowners, breeding numbers have more than doubled since the 1980s. Salisbury Plain remains one of the species' most important strongholds, making Wiltshire vital to its continued recovery. As a ground-nesting bird, it is an important indicator of undisturbed grassland and farmland habitats. 

Head to the species page to find out more.

Wart-biter Bush-cricket (Decticus verrucivorus)

UK BAP status: Priority Species

Once believed to cure warts, the Wart-biter Bush-cricket is now one of Britain's most endangered insects.

Despite having wings, it can’t actually fly, making it difficult for populations to recolonise when habitat is lost. Wiltshire supports one of only a handful of remaining populations in England, where the Wart-biter depends on a delicate mosaic of bare ground, short turf and taller vegetation to survive. As a grassland specialist, it reflects the health and structural diversity of chalk downland habitats. 

Woven Through Wiltshire’s Landscapes

Although these species range from orchids and insects to bats and birds, they are all connected by the same underlying requirement: healthy, functioning habitats. Wiltshire’s chalk grasslands, ancient woodlands, wetlands and farmland mosaics form a network that supports a remarkable range of specialist wildlife, many of which are declining elsewhere in the country.

This makes Wiltshire a place with real responsibility for their future. Protecting and restoring these habitats helps maintain the ecological relationships that allow species like these to survive, and then thrive

You can explore all of Wiltshire’s Critical Species through the Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre. 

Some species on the list may be more familiar than you might expect, such as the hedgehog, brown hare, common toad, slow-worm and swift. Recording sightings of these species, whether in gardens, countryside or urban spaces, helps improve understanding of wildlife across Wiltshire.

If you spot any of Wiltshire’s Critical Species, please submit records through iRecord to help build a clearer picture of how wildlife is changing across the county.

*BAP - Biodiversity Action Plan
**UUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature