Nick Upton / House sparrow (Passer domesticus) male perched on a roof gutter near its nest entrance under old tiles, with a faecal sac it has just brought from the nest, Wiltshire, UK, June.

Nick Upton / House sparrow (Passer domesticus) female perched on a cottage roof gutter near the entrance to its nest under old tiles, Wiltshire, UK, June.

Nick Upton / House sparrow (Passer domesticus) female hopping up from a roof gutter to its nest entrance under old tiles with insect prey for its chicks, Wiltshire, UK, June.

Kim Taylor / Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) fledgling perched on gutter. Surrey, England, June.

Cyril Ruoso / Pair of Barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) perched in gutter, Picardy, France, June.

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Male House sparrow (Passer domesticus) perched on gutter, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales, UK, May.

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) perched on gutter, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales, UK, May.

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Male House sparrow (Passer domesticus) perched on edge of a gutter, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales, UK, May.

Laurent Geslin / Wood pigeons (Columba palumbus) nesting in a stone gutter. Paris, France

Laurent Geslin / Wood pigeons (Columba palumbus) nesting in a stone gutter in Paris, France

David Woodfall / Water flowing into gutter during rainstorm. Denbigh, North Wales, UK. July 2009.

Fabio Liverani / Bones used to hold up gutter, Matera, Basilicata, Southern Italy

Dave Bevan / Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) perched on roof gutter with insect prey, UK

Michael Hutchinson / Italian Alder (Alnus cordata) catkins and cones with moss in concrete pavement gutter, Bristol, UK

David Kjaer / Male House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) perched on house roof gutter, Gloucestershire UK

Colin Monteath / Hiker above the gutter, from headland above Mason Bay, Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island, New Zealand

Heidi & Hans-Juergen Koch / Domestic Cat (Felis catus) sitting on a rain gutter, overlooking the garden, The Hemingway House, Key West, Florida

Mike Wilkes / Male common (house) sparrow perched on gutter, Worcestershire, England

Chris Gomersall / Common starling returns to nest in roof {Sturnus vulgaris} UK

Robin Chittenden / House sparrow (Passer domesticus) perched on gutter, Norfolk, UK, February.

Cyril Ruoso / Chacma Baboon (Papio ursinus) ripping off rain gutter while climbing building, South Africa

Duncan Usher / Black Rat (Rattus rattus) adult in a rain gutter, Europe

Mike Read / Black redstart juvenile on roof {Phoenicurus ochruros} France

David Tipling / Starling (Sturnus vulgarus) perched on gutter of house singing, Norfolk, UK. June.

Charlie Hamilton-James / Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) poking head out of a drain on city street at night, just off Broadway, New York City, USA. May.

Charlie Hamilton-James / Brown rats in a catch basin / drain under city street at night, West Broadway, New York City, USA. March.

Terry Whittaker / Plastic litter including bottles in gutter. Mandroseza, Antananarivo, Madagascar. 2019.

Robert Valentic / Rice frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) found in a roadside gutter at Patong Beach, Phuket Island Thailand.