All species
resident
Red-listedBuntings
Yellowhammer
A bright yellow seed-eater of hedgerows and farmland. The male's head and underparts glow golden in spring, and his song is famously said to sound like 'a little bit of bread and no cheese'.
Emberiza citrinella
Farmland Hedgerows Woodland edges Gardens
Size
16-16.5 cm
Wingspan
23-29 cm
Weight
25-36 g
Lifespan
2-3 years
Diet
Seeds and grain in winter; insects and caterpillars in the breeding season.
Song & Call
A repetitive, jingling 'a-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese' song.
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Speed
Visualizer
Recording by Benoît Van Hecke · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
How to identify
- Bright yellow head and breast on males
- Chestnut rump
- Streaked brown back
- Thick seed-eating bill
Conservation
Red-listed
Red-listed; numbers fell sharply with intensive farming. Hedgerow planting and winter stubbles help.
