Listen to the Song – The Little River Knights
The Little River Knights is the main Sticklebacks song featured in the companion book Our Jewels in the Water, celebrating both the Three-spined and Nine-spined Sticklebacks.
Enjoying the music?
The companion book Our Jewels in the Water includes the full lyrics, beautiful illustrations and the stories behind Britain’s remarkable freshwater fish.
The Sticklebacks
Three-spined & Nine-spined Sticklebacks
Jewel 1 – The Little River Knights
“Small enough to hide among the reeds, yet brave enough to become the Little River Knights of our waters.”
Meet the Sticklebacks
Britain’s Sticklebacks are among the smallest fish featured in Our Jewels in the Water, yet their remarkable behaviour makes them some of the most fascinating.
The two species featured here are the Three-spined Stickleback and the Nine-spined Stickleback. Both are tiny fish protected by sharp dorsal spines, and both have played an important part in introducing generations of children to the hidden world beneath the water.
Many young anglers first discovered fish not with a rod and line, but with a small net beside a pond, ditch or stream. Sticklebacks were often among those first unforgettable discoveries.
The Three-spined Stickleback
The Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is probably Britain’s best-known Stickleback.
Its name comes from the prominent defensive spines along its back. During the breeding season the male can become especially colourful and fiercely territorial.
One of its most remarkable behaviours is nest building. The male carefully constructs a nest from plant material before attracting a female to lay her eggs. He then guards and fans the eggs until they hatch.
For such a tiny fish, the Three-spined Stickleback displays an extraordinary level of parental care.
Listen – The Little Master Builder
The Little Master Builder celebrates the remarkable nest-building behaviour of the male Three-spined Stickleback.
The Nine-spined Stickleback
The Nine-spined Stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) is generally smaller and more slender than its Three-spined cousin.
Despite its name, the fish may possess between eight and twelve small dorsal spines, although nine is common.
It favours quiet ponds, marshes, drainage ditches, slow-flowing streams and sheltered waters rich in aquatic vegetation.
During the breeding season the male also builds and guards a nest, showing that remarkable parental behaviour is shared across the Stickleback family.
Listen – The Little Knight Click Here
The Little Knight celebrates this tiny and often overlooked guardian of Britain’s quieter waters.
Clive’s Story
Some of our strongest fishing memories begin with the smallest fish.
Long before many youngsters ever hold a fishing rod, they discover the excitement of looking into shallow water with a little net in their hands.
A tiny Stickleback appearing among the weeds can create exactly the same sense of wonder that a much larger fish creates later in life.
Those early moments teach us to look beneath the surface and realise that even the smallest pond or stream can contain an entire hidden world.
That is why the Sticklebacks seemed the perfect fish to begin Our Jewels in the Water.
Natural History
Sticklebacks feed mainly on small aquatic insects, larvae, crustaceans and other tiny invertebrates.
Their sharp dorsal spines provide protection from predators, while their small size allows them to live among weeds, reeds and shallow margins where larger fish may struggle to follow.
They also form an important part of the freshwater food chain, providing food for larger fish, birds and other predators.
Their breeding behaviour is particularly fascinating because the male takes responsibility for building the nest and protecting the developing eggs and young fish.
Interesting Facts
- Three-spined Stickleback: Gasterosteus aculeatus.
- Nine-spined Stickleback: Pungitius pungitius.
- Both species possess protective dorsal spines.
- The males build nests during the breeding season.
- Males guard and care for the eggs until they hatch.
- They feed on tiny aquatic invertebrates.
- They inhabit ponds, streams, ditches, marshes and sheltered margins.
- Sticklebacks are often among the first fish discovered by children exploring freshwater habitats.
Behind the Songs
The Sticklebacks have inspired three songs within the Our Jewels in the Water project.
The Little River Knights brings both species together and celebrates those childhood moments spent exploring streams and ponds with a small net.
The Little Master Builder focuses on the remarkable nest-building and parental behaviour of the Three-spined Stickleback.
The Little Knight gives the quieter Nine-spined Stickleback its own voice and celebrates a fish that often lives unnoticed among reeds and aquatic plants.
Together, the songs remind us that a fish does not have to be large to have an extraordinary story.
Watch the Video
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Conservation
Small freshwater habitats are easily overlooked, yet they can support an extraordinary variety of wildlife.
Pollution, drainage, habitat loss and the removal of aquatic vegetation can quickly damage the ponds, streams, ditches and wetlands where Sticklebacks live.
Protecting these habitats benefits not only Sticklebacks but insects, amphibians, birds, plants and many other species.
Sometimes protecting the smallest creatures means protecting an entire ecosystem.
Clive’s Reflection
Anglers naturally admire the great fish of our rivers and lakes, but size should never determine how much we value a species.
The Sticklebacks remind us where our fascination with water often begins.
A tiny flash among the reeds may be the first fish a child ever sees closely.
That moment can begin a lifetime of curiosity, fishing and respect for the natural world.
To me, that makes these little fish true Jewels in the Water.
“The smallest guardians often protect the greatest treasures.”
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