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24

Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) Alternate name(s): "Scribble Lark" German name(s): "Goldammer" Size: 16-17 cm; wing span 23-30 cm Weight: 20-37 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Yellowhammers are a relatively large buntings. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. During the breeding season male Yellowhammers a bright-yellow head and belly. On the head there are some grey markings on the ear coverts and a grey "V" from the base of the bill to the cap. The back of the head is heavily streaked with grey, while the nape of the neck and the mantle are olive-grey. The breast and flanks are brownish, with the flanks and sides of the belly also striated a darker shade of brown. The upperparts are highly cryptic, with dark-grey feathers with light-brown and buff edge lining. The rump is light-brown; the tail is dark-grey. Female Yellowhammers have much more inconspicuous colours. They are olive-grey where breeding males are yellow; otherwise their plumage is similar to the males'. Only during the breeding season they may have a pale-yellow spot on the throat. male Yellowhammers in eclipse resemble females. Both sexes have black irises, a light-grey bill and pinkish-grey legs and feet. Juvenile birds have plainer colours yet than adult females.

Taxonomy, classification See Yellowhammer at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Yellowhammer is available HERE . Yellowhammers are a partly migratory Eurasian species with three recognised races that, altogether, have a range spanning from the British Isles and the North-west of Spain in the West out to mid-latitude central Asia in the East and from the northern Mediterranean in the South to just below the northern-most part of Scandinavia in the North. Nominate race "citrinella" is found in South-east England and the rest of the central European range, out to western Ukraine and the north-western corner of Russia. Within that range, they are summer migrants in the north-eastern part of Scandinavia and the northern tundra in Ukraine and Russia. They are winter visitors in the southern-most parts of their range, i.e. northern Spain, Italy, Macedonia and northern Greece (and western Asia Minor and the Mediterranean East coast).

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "citrinella" D. Wilczynska reports spotting Yellowhammers, nominate race "citrinella", regularly around Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland. A. Sarok reports spotting a Yellowhammer, nominate race "citrinella", in Temerin, Serbia, in January 2017. S. Cuturilov reports spotting Yellowhammers, nominate race "citrinella", in different locations in the mountains of south-western Serbia in June 2017. M. Eaton found Yellowhammers, nominate race "citrinella", near Oslo airport, Oslo, Norway, in June 2018. H. Dahlem-Senger reports spotting a Yellowhammer, nominate race "citrinella", near Eltville, Hessen, Germany, in March 2020. Another pair was seen repeatedly in the same area in the timeframe January-March 2021 and on into May 2021. R. Normand found a Yellowhammer, race "citrinella", near Wissant, 20 km North of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Hauts-de-France, France, in June 2020. M. A. Pears found a Yellowhammer, nominate race "citrinella", in Harlow, Essex, England, in April 2021.

Photos

Race "citrinella"

ADULT

MALE

BREEDING

Frontal view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of R. Normand)
[Wissant, 20 km North of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Hauts-de-France, France, June 2020]

Frontal view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage with its head turned (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Near-frontal view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Near-lateral view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male Yellowhammer fanning its tail in the process of stretching one of its wings
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Close-up lateral view of a singing male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Oslo airport, Oslo, Norway, June 2018]

Lateral view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Eltville, Hessen, Germany, February 2021]

Lateral view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage on top of an apple tree (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Stephanshausen, Hessen, Germany, May 2021]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage; this is one of the birds whose calls were recorded on 30 June 2019 (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Malkinia, Masovia, Poland, June 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Eltville, Hessen, Germany, February 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. A. Pears)
[Harlow, Essex, England, April 2021]

Dorsal view of a male Yellowhammer in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Eltville, Hessen, Germany, February 2021]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Yellowhammer looking sideways (photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Kosovo, August 2021]

Frontal/ventral view of a female Yellowhammer (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Frontal/ventral view of a female Yellowhammer (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Lateral view of a female Yellowhammer (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Dorsal view of a female Yellowhammer (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2015]

PAIR

Frontal view of a pair of Yellowhammers; male in breeding plumage at upper right (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Lateral view of a pair of Yellowhammers; male in breeding plumage in the back, female in front
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2015]

NON-BREEDING

MALE

Frontal view of a male Yellowhammer in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Temerin, Serbia, January 2017]

Food, Diet

Yellowhammers are buntings. Like all buntings known to us, they are seed-eaters.

Note that cardueline finches (i.e. European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch, Eurasian Siskin and their close relatives) feed their young primarily regurgitated seeds, while fringilline finches (all others) feed their young primarily invertebrates.

Pair of Yellowhammers feasting on wheat grains that have not germinated (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2015]

Dorsal view of a male Yellowhammer with its prey, two grasshoppers (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Dorsal view of a male Yellowhammer with its prey, two grasshoppers (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

yelhamm_dw_20160503.m4a	citrinella (Poland)	Territorial calls (male)	© DW
yelhamm_dw_20190630.m4a	citrinella (Poland)	Pair Q&A (territorial calls)	© DW
yelhamm_dw_20160719.m4a	citrinella (Poland)	Pair Q&As	© DW
yelhamm_dw_20160719_2.m4a	citrinella (Poland)	Pair Q&As	© DW

More Yellowhammer sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

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