The barn owl will appear on the next generation of Bank of England banknotes after winning a national public vote.

The Bank launched its wildlife imagery consultation on June 3, inviting people across the UK to choose the animals they most wanted to see on future notes, and the month-long consultation closed on July 3 with an impressive 478,531 responses.

Voters chose from a shortlist of 18 species spanning three categories: mammals; birds; and amphibians, insects and fish. It will feature alongside the bee, puffin and hedgehog on notes that will eventually appear in £5, £10, £20 and £50 denominations.

Both the Mid Devon Advertiser and the Teignmouth Post report that the Barn Owl Trust, a charity based near Ashburton, welcomed the announcement as a wonderful recognition of a much-loved species.

What makes the result so charming is the scale of public enthusiasm it revealed.

Nearly half a million people took the time to vote on which animals should represent Britain's wildlife on its currency, and the barn owl — one of the country's most instantly recognisable and widely admired birds — won the bird category in a landslide with 270,596 votes.

Victoria Cleland, the Bank of England's chief cashier, welcomed the response, saying she was delighted that nearly half-a-million people responded to the wildlife imagery consultation and that it showed cash still matters.

For readers of the Mid Devon Advertiser and the Teignmouth Post, the story carries a warm local twist: the charity celebrating the win is the Barn Owl Trust, based near Ashburton, which has spent years working to protect the species and its environment.

A bird many people may have glimpsed silently hunting over dusk fields now has a national platform.

Natalie Mostert, head of conservation at the Barn Owl Trust, said the team was absolutely delighted that the barn owl had been chosen by the public, calling it a wonderful recognition of a bird that has captured the imagination of people across the UK for generations.

She expressed hope that seeing the barn owl on banknotes will not only celebrate the species but inspire even greater interest in its conservation and the habitats it depends upon.

According to the Mid Devon Advertiser, although the barn owl is instantly recognisable and widely admired, it faces a range of pressures in the modern landscape, and protecting the countryside and the habitats on which it relies remains essential to its future.

The trust is encouraging the public to get involved in its conservation work and support efforts to protect the species, with more information available through its website.

The decision gives barn owl conservation a much wider audience than any charity campaign could typically reach, putting the species in front of everyone who handles British cash.

The Barn Owl Trust hopes the bird's appearance on the nation's currency will encourage people to learn more about the species and the importance of preserving suitable habitats for wildlife, and the trust said it looks forward to following the development of the new banknotes and eventually seeing the barn owl take its place as a symbol of Britain's wildlife.

There is still design work ahead: it has not yet been decided which of the four chosen species — the barn owl, bee, puffin and hedgehog — will appear on each of the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, and the design process is expected to take several years.

Both the Mid Devon Advertiser and the Teignmouth Post covered the announcement, underscoring how a community-rooted charity helped champion a national win.