Known for its distinctive “a little bit of bread and no cheeeeeese” call, the yellowhammer is a colourful, sparrow-sized bunting that can often be spotted singing from a high perch. It has a few local names such as ‘scribbly-jack, ‘scribbling schoolmaster’, or ‘writing lark’ due to the squiggly lines on its eggs that look a little like handwriting. It is threatened by habitat destruction and in the UK its population is declining, although it is not thought to be globally threatened.
Breeding pairs: 710,000
Family: Buntings
Male yellowhammers in fresh plumage have warm brown upperparts with black streaks and a rust-coloured rump and uppertail coverts with fewer streaks. On the upperwing, the edges of the primaries have yellow tones, and the tail has some white on the outer rectrices.
The underparts are yellow with dark streaks on the breast and rear flanks. There is a rusty-olive breast band and rust on the sides of the breast and upper flanks.
The head is yellow with dark stripes bordering the crown, the cheeks are brown with darker edges on the ear coverts and malar area, and the chin and throat are pale yellow. The bill is blue-grey, the eyes are dark brown, and the legs and feet are brown.
In worn plumage, the upperparts are brighter, and the breast has more rust on it. The head is yellower with the dark pattern restricted to narrow back streaks above the supercilium. A dark green eye stripe curves down from the rear of the ear coverts to the lower rear corner of the cheeks.
In fresh plumage, female yellowhammers are similar to males but duller and paler overall. The head pattern is more prominent with more olive and brown.
In worn plumage, the upperparts are duller, and the underparts are paler yellow with more streaks on the breast and flanks. There is less yellow on the head, more streaks on the crown, and the sides of the head are dull green.
Juvenile yellowhammers are similar to adult females but duller and with more streaks on the underparts, and broader dark streaks on the mantle and scapulars. On the head there is an indistinct supercilium.
Yellowhammers start breeding in April and will produce broods as late as September. They are monogamous and have two or three broods a season. They nest in sand dunes, coasts, cliffs, and rocky areas, well hidden in grass, or at the base of a bush or small tree. The female builds the nest which is a cup-shaped structure made from leaves, dry grass and stalks and lined with moss and hair.
Yellowhammers lay 2-6 light olive, tan, or pale blue or pinkish eggs with a fine granular texture, and darker markings, which are incubated by the female alone for 12-14 days. The male brings her food at the nest. Both parents feed the chicks which fledge 11-13 days after hatching. They reach sexual maturity at 1 year.
Yellowhammers forage on the ground for seeds, cereals and grain. When not breeding yellowhammers will forage in large flocks often with other buntings and finches. During breeding season yellowhammers will supplement their diet with invertebrates such as grasshoppers, worms, caterpillars, spiders and snails.
Yellowhammers are found across the UK but are least abundant in the north and west and completely absent from some upland areas.
Look out for them in open countryside near bushes and hedgerows. They will also venture into gardens particularly during winter.
Hammer is a corruption of the German ammer, meaning bunting.