Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella

The Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella, is a handsome bunting belonging to the family Emberizidae, and one of the most characteristic birds of the traditional British farmed landscape. Males are striking – brilliant lemon-yellow head and underparts, with chestnut and black streaking on the back and a rich rusty-orange rump – while females are more subdued with heavier streaking. The song is one of the most familiar sounds of the English countryside: a persistent, repetitive phrase traditionally rendered as ‘a-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese’, delivered from the top of a hedgerow or bramble throughout the summer months. The Yellowhammer is closely associated with arable farmland, rough grassland, and scrubby hedgerows, providing seed-rich foraging habitat year-round. It has declined significantly due to agricultural intensification and is a Red List species of serious conservation concern in Britain. Image: © Neil Rolph, Flickr.

Find out more: RSPB, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, iNaturalist