Bird guide · Emberiza citrinella
Yellowhammer
What the yellowhammer eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from across the UK.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 6.3 in (16 cm)
- Eats
- seeds
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- Scotland, England, Wales
Food
What do yellowhammers eat?
At feeders, yellowhammers take seeds.
Feeds on the ground, picking through seeds.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do yellowhammers live?
Farmland with hedges; least common in the north and west. Red-listed. By share of all bird sightings, yellowhammers are most common in Scotland (0.3%).
Nations where yellowhammers are most common
- Scotland0.3%
- England0.3%
- Wales0.04%
- Northern Ireland0.04%
Share of all bird sightings in each nation that are yellowhammers, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the yellowhammer migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in June.
Share of all bird sightings in the UK that are yellowhammers, by month.
Identification
How to identify the yellowhammer
Male: Bright yellow head and underparts, brown back streaked with black, chestnut rump; white outer tail in flight.
Female: Less bright, more streaked on crown, breast and flanks.
Size: 6.3 in (16 cm)
Easily confused with
- Cirl Bunting – grey-brown rump
On camera
Getting the yellowhammer on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Yellowhammer: questions
What do yellowhammers eat?
At feeders, seeds.
Do yellowhammers migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in June.
Where do yellowhammers live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland.
What does a female yellowhammer look like?
Less bright, more streaked on crown, breast and flanks.
More birds