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  • Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer (male)
Yellowhammer (male)
Yellowhammer (female)
Yellowhammer (female)
  • Scientific name: Emberiza citrinella
  • Bird family: Buntings
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Yellowhammer song audio

Your browser does not support this audio feature.

Patrik Åberg, Xeno-canto

Key information

Male yellowhammers are unmistakeable with a bright yellow head and underparts, brown back streaked with black, and chestnut rump. In flight it shows white outer tail feathers. They are often seen perched on top of a hedge or bush, singing.

Its recent population decline make it a Red List species.

What they eat:

Seeds and insects.

Measurements:

Length:
16-16.5cm
Wingspan:
23-29.5cm
Weight:
25-36g

Population:

UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
UK breeding:
700,000 territories

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Yellowhammer (male)

Male yellowhammer
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Orange Yellow
Leg colour: Brown Pink
Beak: Black Brown Short Chunky
Natural habitats: Farmland Grassland Heathland Urban and suburban

Yellowhammer (female)

Female yellowhammer
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Orange Yellow
Leg colour: Brown Pink
Beak: Black Brown Short Chunky
Natural habitats: Farmland Grassland Heathland Urban and suburban

Similar birds:

Cirl bunting, male
Cirl bunting
Yellow wagtail
Yellow wagtail

Where and when to see them

Yellowhammers are found across the UK. They are least abundant in the north and west and absent from some upland areas, such as the Pennines and Highlands of Scotland, as well as some lowland areas, such as the Inner Hebrides and the Orkneys. Look in open countryside with bushes and hedgerows.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Yellowhammer distribution map

You can see yellowhammers all year round.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Aylesbeare Common
  • RSPB Winterbourne Downs
  • RSPB Gwenffrwd-Dinas
  • RSPB Budby South Forest
  • RSPB Labrador Bay

Video

A close up look at a yellowhammer.

A close up look at a yellowhammer.

Yellowhammer video screenshot
 Mute swan Cygnus olor, cygnet on adult's back seeking shelter, Langford

Save nature, donate now

  • More than 40 million birds have vanished from the UK in 50 years
  • One in ten of our wildlife is critically endangered

Within your lifetime, species such as song thrushes, cuckoos and even hedgehogs could die out altogether. As the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, the RSPB use your donations to restore habitats, protect species and save nature. Give a little today and make a big difference tomorrow. Thank you.

DONATE NOW

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