Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
Yellowhammers are resident all year round, except in north and northwest parts of Scotland (Highlands of Scotland and certain lowland areas i.e. Inner Hebrides and Orkneys), where they are summer visitors only. The best places to observe Yellowhammers are in bushes and hedgerows.
Male Yellowhammers feature bright yellow colouring on their heads; in fact, this colour covers most of the body whose underparts have a dark streaked pattern. Females, in contrast, are duller in colour and are somewhat brown-looking birds. They are approximate in size to a common House sparrow.
They are a part of the Buntings family, which are characterised to a degree by their finch-like appearance; yet for a slightly different bill structure and flatter heads, they are different. They are also renowned for their lengthy bodies and tails, which give them a memorable aspect.
Unfortunately, Yellowhammers have experienced a considerable decline over the past 25 years, and therefore have been classified on the Red List as a species of considerable conservation concern. Much of this decline has been put down to variable farming practicing, such as the sowing of crops in autumn, thus reducing supply over winter. In the UK alone there are 710,000 breeding pairs, which put the population of Yellowhammers at a considerably low level.
Name and taxonomy
The Latinate term Emberiza citrinella is derived from the old German embritz, which means bunting; the term “citrinella” is the Italian word for little yellow bird.
Diet
Yellowhammers feed mainly on seed and insects, and therefore the best possible chance of attracting them into the garden is by using seed mixes that contain a blend of oil-rich seeds (sunflower hearts) and kibbled maize (crushed/broken corn). This is particularly so over cold winter months and into spring when natural crop supplies may have been affected by the weather. Out in the wild, they favour farms and hedgerows where they can access similar types of foods.
Breeding & Nesting
Yellowhammer breeding begins in late April, and typically around two or three clutches are produced, each containing approximately two to six eggs, which are smooth, glossy and feature purplish markings. The incubation period lasts around thirteen days, after which they can take up to sixteen days to fully fledge.
Yellowhammer nests are usually placed low on the ground, among hedgerows or woodland fringes. They are built solely by females and contain a mixture of different building materials, including various plant matter, dry grass, stalks and leaves. The lining is typically comprised of fine grass and animal hair.
Yellowhammers don’t often come into the garden, but if they do greet them with plenty of seed and a smattering of kibbled maize.
Yellowhammers in culture
The Yellowhammer has appeared in various areas of cultural influence, including John Clare’s poem “The Yellowhammer”, which reads:
In early spring, when winds blow chilly cold,
The yellowhammer, trailing grass, will come
To fix a place and choose an early home,
With yellow breast and head of solid gold.
The Yellowhammer’s song, which is comprised of a series of short notes that gradually increase over time, has apparently been an influential factor in Beethoven’s writing of the powerful four-note opening motif in his incredible 5th Symphony (as everyone knows: short-short-short-long). Accordingly, the Yellowhammer “theme” was used in two piano concertos, No. 21 in C major and No. 23 in F minor.
What is the difference between a Yellowhammer and a Yellow wagtail?

Yellow wagtail – Motacilla flava

Yellowhammer – Emberiza citrinella
Yellowhammer. A pretty little bird, only seen it when in Scotland. Loch of the Lowes.
I enjoy these fact files though this one is missing the only thing I already knew about the Yellowhammer, that its song is often described (and remembered), as sounding as though it is ‘a-little-bit-of-bread-with-no-cheeeeeese’.
Hi Shaun,
Great description of the Yellowhammer call. I may borrow that at some point, if you don’t mind!
I used to see yellow hammers every year in the fifties often finding the nest on the ground, now sadly they have disappeared from my area the last one I saw was in 1975, though at 90 don’t get out as much cant walk very far
Last February we had no less than 8 yellow hammers, but they disappeared after 6 weeks dispite feeding every day, I live in Ireland
From your comments we must be very lucky as have had as many as six at the same time in our garden
Six at a time? That’s incredible. Do you have photos of them? We would love you to share. Thanks.
Great little ditty to remember the yellow hammer song … I have only just discovered the sound to match this bird and over the last 3 days I’ve seen them every day … joyous
Will have a look
Three at once is the best I can do
I’ve had lots in my garden at the feeder this summer – its a pleasure to watch them :) although a few weeks ago one unfortunately got killed by a car on the road outside my house and its partner was fluttering about it trying to revive it – so sad :(. I moved its wee body into the field off the road so the same thing wouldn’t happen to the other wee bird. Couldn’t help worrying about the posdible baby birds that were left behind.
I am also very lucky indeed with at least half a dozen Yellowhammers living in my garden over the past 3 years.
I live in South Staffordshire.
I very much enjoy the photographs on your site. They are superb.
M.
Hi Margaret,
That’s great you have so many living in your garden. Are these resident, all year round?
Sadly its the same fore me I haven’t heard one singing for a while ,always a rare visitor to the garden ,only if the snow was deep , Ive had people tell me that there are a few ,same with yellow wagtail .lucky to see any at all ,yet in my area which is Ibstock In Leicester ,they were both very common in the 70s & early 80s then the over cutting of hedgerows & Open casting ,has I said to one farmer there are no flowers or fruit on the hedges these days so the food & insects have disappeared ,39 years ago Moths would come to the kitchen window in their hundreds you can now count the few that do come . The coal board cut all the trees down Oak, Ash anything ,they did replace them but it will be a few hundred years before they are big enough to be of any use , of course things can’t survive while that happens .
We get a couple of yellow hammers every year in our garden in beauly in the highlands. we look forward to seeing them every year and are sad to hear their on the list of birds on the decline.
Hi Ali,
Great to hear you have a couple of Yellowhammers visiting you each year. They are beautiful birds, and completely agree it is sad to see their decline over the years. It would be interesting to know which month your receive your birds.
This is brilliant! I love the snapshot articles and the readers comments – thank you for sharing! It’s such a pretty bird but sadly not had the fortune to see it (yet).
Hi Jaki, thanks for the comment, and we’re glad you enjoy the articles. Fingers crossed you will see a Yellowhammer soon. They are hard to miss once you catch sight of one, as they have a bright (almost fluorescent) yellow colour.
When visiting Mearsehead last year on the Solway coast there where so many of them in the hedgerows it was an absolute delight to see , they flew ahead of us and then waited until we got level and then all flew off again.
A lovely surprise today when having a break from gardening , sitting having a cuppa we noticed blue tits on one of the feeders and what we are sure was a yellow hammer flew in and perched on a silver birch over the burn that runs along the garden. We are just outside Castle Douglas . Scotland.
Hi. We holidayed on the Oxford Canal from Gayton Marina in the first week of June 2017 and were delighted to see Yellowhammers and Yellow Wagtails on several occasions. It was a real treat to see them. One Yellow Wagtail was feeding it’s chick on the tow path. We have seen several Reed Buntings in Norfolk too but sadly I always seem to miss the Kingfisher. Thanks for the great articles. I really enjoy them.
Hi Janet,
Thanks for your comments. It’s great to read you’ve caught sight of some Yellowhammers. They are a stunning example of nature in Britain, as are Kingfishers. Please let us know if you ever get to see some.
Thanks again,
GardenBird
I have been fortunate to have seen ten yellowhammers in my garden this winter the most I have ever seen.They come every year mainly in the winter but usually only about five or six
Just sitting in the lounge of my daughters house here in Germany on a very cold March morning and there is a huge flock of these beautiful birds flitting from tree to tree.
Just had a couple of yellowhammers arrive in our garden. We live in Beauly Scottish Highlands. Lovely bird, haven’t seen one for a long time. I noticed another person sighted them in Beauly a couple of years ago. I hope ours are offspring. I would hate to think we had birdknapped them
We have an equestrian property near Cirencester and I have been seeing a Yellowhammer in one of the horses fields over the last few weeks. Decided to Google to find out what type of bird it was as I’ve never seen one before. Feeling privileged to see a declining bird
I started keeping a log of all species of birds that I see in or from our garden in North Oxfordshire from the beginning of 2019. We put out several birdfeeders, with mixed seeds, peanuts and fat balls. I have been delighted by the fact that we have had yellowhammers on between 13 and 26 days in every month between January and July – sometimes as many as six at a time. However, for some reason, the last one I saw was on 24 July, since when……………………nothing! If anyone can offer an explanation, or suggest what I can do to get them back, I would be delighted to know.
We stay in the country several miles from wick in caithness and we have a pair of yellow hammer since the beginning of March. I have been feeding the variety of birds we have during the winter months with a mixture of peanuts seed mixture and apple pieces for the black birds .we just hope they will make their home here.
I have seen one yellow hammer in my garden this year. The first time in 3 years here in mid Wales. Hope to see more.
I think I saw one today, it looked like a sparrow, brown with a bright yellow head flew out of hedgerow in front of our car in Herefordshire. Could this have been a yellowhammer?
I have lived in the same house , near Fraserburgh not far from the sea for 55 yrs I love birds we have had Goldfinches for the last few years, but within the last week I saw a strange bird I had never seen before a brown bird with a yellow head which has made an appearance a few times, on consulting a bird book I was pleased to find out it was a Yellowhammer I just hope it comes back.
Last year one of the few pleasures from covid was the opportunity to meet yellow hammers on my daily walk from spring through to autumn. But this year I have seen none. It’s now July so I fear 2021 is going to prove no sightings at all at this rate . We live in North Yorkshire overlooking rolling limestone fields with ever diminishing hedgerows.
I found a yellow hammer dead in my garden this morning. So sad, such a pretty little bird. I examined it closely and it appeared to have what looked like a small tumour under its left wing. Also it had lots of small yellowish things in its feathers, maybe lice or mites?I don’t think i’ve ever seen one before,
had to look it up to find out what it was.
I live in Anstruther Fife and for the first time today I was mesmerised by this beautiful little bird with a bright yellow head as I was out for a walk near our costal area with my daughter in law. I found out it was a male yellow hammer that disappeared into the hedgerow. After reading that it’s on the red list is so sad.
I saw my first Yellowhammer yesterday. I’m 5 miles from Anstruther in Fife and live in a wood. He was beautiful.