Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer
Bird
A bright yellow bird commonly seen perched on hedgerows in farmland.
💡 Fun Facts
- Their song is often described as sounding like 'a little bit of bread and no cheese'.
- They build their cup-shaped nests on or very close to the ground.
- In winter, they often join mixed flocks to forage for seeds.
Name Story
Emberiza citrinella
means “the little lemon-yellow bunting”
What does its name mean?
- Emberiza — buntingan old German word, Embritz
- citrinella — little lemon-yellow oneLatin citrinus 'lemon-yellow'
- yellowhammer — the '-hammer' is really 'ammer', German for 'bunting' — not a hammer at allEnglish
Don't be fooled by the 'hammer' — there is no tool here. It comes from the old word 'ammer', meaning a bunting (a kind of bird), so 'yellowhammer' really means 'yellow bunting'. The bright lemon-yellow male sings a tune people remember as 'a-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheeeese'.