The reason why Aston Villa, Wolves and West Brom have all made major edits to their club crests today

Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion have all edited their famous club crests today

The three clubs have signed up to support World Wildlife Day by editing their famous logos to inspire animal-friendly activism.

Across social media channels and branding, there is no lion on the Aston Villa crest, no wolf on that of Wolves and no throstle bird on the West Brom logo.

An Aston Villa club statement said: "A host of global brands and sports teams worldwide are again teaming up to rally against the emptiness of a world without nature, highlighting just how important nature is in every aspect of our lives.

"The initiative by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), now in its third year, aims to drive awareness of nature and biodiversity loss, prompting audiences to look twice at well-known logos and crests which, for one day only, will remove iconic images of wildlife and biodiversity."

West Brom also commented on the campaign and said: “The iconic throstle bird, which has been an image associated with West Bromwich Albion for more than a century, sitting on the hawthorn tree in the middle of the club’s crest, will be removed for 24 hours across our social media channels.

“Former club secretary Tom Smith decided the throstle, a Black Country term for a song thrush, should be the club emblem back in 1884. At that time, the team would get changed in the Plough and Harrow pub which lay adjacent to Stoney Lane, Albion’s former home. The landlady kept a very chirpy throstle which the players would look at as they walked out to the pitch. If the bird made plenty of noise, the players would see that as an omen for success.

All three clubs in and around Birmingham confirmed the news on official channels today which received support from activists and fans alike.

One West Brom fan wrote: "This is so impactful! The badge looks nothing without our Throstle and Hawthorn Bush."

Meanwhile, other supporters called on the clubs to take more active steps in the cause as well as editing the crest as a gesture.

Some Wolves fans also managed to find a moment of irony in the timing of the campaign.

One wrote "not the first time Wolves have gone missing this season" and another said "missing like the Wolves strikers' goals".