Yellowhammer

Emberiza citrinella

A bunting with a bright yellow head and underparts, often singing repeated phrases from the top of a bush.

Key facts

Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) is an omnivore animal classified as Bird · Passeriformes · Emberizidae.
Primary habitats are grassland · forest · urban, with a range across Palearctic · Australasian.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is loose group, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A bunting with a bright yellow head and underparts, often singing repeated phrases from the top of a bush.
Lives in farmland, grassland, woodland edges, hedges, scrub, and open rough ground where grass and shrubs mix.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Lives in farmland, grassland, woodland edges, hedges, scrub, and open rough ground where grass and shrubs mix.

Males show bright yellow head and underparts, brown streaking, and a chestnut rump. Females and young birds are duller and streakier.

Breeding males sing from exposed twigs. In winter, birds join mixed flocks and feed on the ground.

Seeds, grain, grass seeds, and insects are eaten, with chicks receiving many insects and other animal foods.

Nests are built near the base of grass or shrubs, often in farmland close to seed-rich feeding areas.

Globally low-risk, but parts of western Europe report declines linked to agricultural change.