The answer to the question “Which British bird has yellow on wings?” is the yellowhammer. The yellowhammer is a small passerine bird that is found throughout the UK and Ireland. It is identifiable by its bright yellow head and underparts, brown back, and yellow panels in the wings and tail.
There are around 600 different species of bird that breed regularly in the UK. While many British birds have some yellow feathers or markings, the yellowhammer is one of the most distinctly yellow birds found in Britain and Ireland.
Yellowhammers are small birds, around 15-16 cm in length and weighing 24-29 g. They have brown streaked plumage on the back and head, a bright yellow head and underparts, white outer tail feathers, and yellow panels in the wings and tail that are visible during flight. The yellow colouration, particularly on the head and chest, makes them easy to identify.
Yellowhammers are widespread across Britain and Ireland and can be seen in a range of habitats including farmland, meadows, heathland, scrub, and gardens. They usually nest low in bushes, shrubs or hedges. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and insects.
The yellowhammer is known for its distinctive song, a repetitive ‘little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese’ song. This has led to a number of folk nicknames including ‘scribble lark’, ‘writing lark’, ‘bread and cheese’, and ‘yellow yite’. These nicknames refer to the bird’s song sounding like a repeated phrase about having no cheese for its bread.
Identification
To confirm that the yellowhammer is the British bird species with yellow on its wings, it is useful to look at the key identification features:
- Bright yellow head and underparts
- Brown streaked back and wings
- White outer tail feathers
- Obvious yellow panels in wings and tail visible during flight
- Distinctive ‘little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese’ song
The combination of the vibrant yellow colouration on the front of the bird, contrasting with the brown streaked back, as well as the distinct yellow patches on the wings and tail in flight, makes the yellowhammer easy to recognize.
Appearance
In more detail, the yellowhammer has:
- A bright yellow head, chin, and underparts. The yellow can vary in brightness between individuals.
- Brown streaked plumage on its back and crown. The streaks help break up its outline when perched.
- A conical grey bill used for feeding on seeds and insects.
- Plain greyish legs and feet.
- White outer tail feathers which are conspicuous during flight.
- Yellow panels on the otherwise brown wings and square ended tail. These yellow patches are a key identification feature.
Male and female yellowhammers look identical. Juveniles have a paler yellow head and can look scruffier overall until they moult into adult plumage.
Song
The male yellowhammer has a very distinctive, repetitive, rasping song. It sounds like ‘a-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese’.
This distinctive song is delivered from an elevated perch like a bush top, post, or wire. It is a territorial song marking out the bird’s breeding area.
The ‘bread and cheese’ song gave rise to a number of old folk nicknames for the bird including the ‘scribble lark’, ‘writing lark’ and ‘yellow yite’.
Similar species
The yellowhammer’s yellow head and underparts combined with its brown back and yellow in wings and tail makes it a distinctive bird unlikely to be confused with other species. However, some possibilities are:
- Yellow wagtail – Yellow wagtails have a yellow head but paler underparts. They have a long tail and move in an undulating flight. They do not show yellow in the wings.
- Reed bunting – Male reed buntings have a black head and underparts with pale yellow patches in the wings. They lack a bright yellow head.
- Corn bunting – Larger than a yellowhammer with a stouter bill and thick streaky brown plumage. The head is greyish.
The yellowhammer’s colors combined with small size, stocky shape, conical bill and song make it a distinct species.
Distribution and Habitat
The yellowhammer has a wide distribution across Britain and Ireland. Its habitats include:
- Farmland – Especially areas with cereal crops, weedy stubbles, fallow land and grass field margins.
- Hedgerows – Nests in thick, bushy hedges.
- Moorland and Heaths – More scattered here, but can be found up to 500m elevation.
- Scrub – Hawthorns, gorse and young conifer plantations.
- Gardens – Visits suburban gardens.
Yellowhammers have declined in Britain in recent decades. Intensive agriculture and the loss of weedy field margins and scrub have caused populations to fall, especially in lowland England. But they remain a widespread and familiar farmland bird.
Distribution map
The yellowhammer has an extensive distribution across Britain and Ireland as shown in the map below:
Image source: Biopix
Their range covers most of England, Wales and southern Scotland as well as most of Ireland. They are absent from higher ground in Scotland and less common in urban areas.
Population
In the late 1960s, the UK breeding population of yellowhammers was estimated at around 3.5 million territories. The population underwent a substantial decline from the late 1970s onwards.
According to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), there were approximately 1.2 million breeding territories in the late 1990s. The current breeding population is estimated at 580,000 territories.
Populations in England fell by 80% between 1970 and 2015. The declines have been linked to agricultural intensification and in particular the loss of seed food sources.
When to see
Yellowhammers are resident in Britain and Ireland, so can be seen year-round. The best time to see them is:
- Breeding season – Late March to August. Males sing most actively early in season and birds can be harder to see once breeding.
- Winter – Form small flocks, often mixed with buntings.
Behaviour
Key aspects of yellowhammer behaviour include:
- Diet – Feeds mainly on seeds of cereal crops, weeds and grass. Also insects especially when breeding.
- Nesting – Nest is on or near ground in thick hedge or bush. 4-5 eggs laid.
- Song – The ‘little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese’ song marks territory.
- Flocks – Outside breeding season forms small flocks sometimes mixed with buntings.
- Flight – Undulating flight with flashes of yellow in wings and tail.
Diet
Yellowhammers are granivorous, feeding mainly on the seeds of plants including cereal grains, grasses and weeds. Their conical bill is adapted for cracking open seeds.
When feeding young, more insects are taken including beetles, caterpillars, flies and spiders. Adults also feed on insects when breeding.
They feed on the ground in short vegetation, sometimes perching on low stems and making short flights to the ground to pick up seeds.
Nesting
Nesting activity begins in late March/early April with the birds usually double brooded. The nest is built by the female in a bush, hedge, shrub or scrubby tree within 1-2m of the ground.
It is constructed from stems, grass and moss with a lining of finer grasses and hair. 4-5 eggs are laid which are incubated by the female for around 13 days before hatching.
The chicks fledge after a further 13 days. The male stays close to the nest to guard and feed the female while she is incubating then helps feed the chicks.
Song
The yellowhammer has a very loud, repetitive and far-carrying song. The male sings his ‘little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese’ song repetitively from the tops of bushes, tree branches or wires.
Singing increases in frequency and intensity in the early breeding season as males establish territories and attract mates. Song output declines once pair bonds have formed and incubation begins.
Flocks
Outside of the breeding season, yellowhammers form small flocks, sometimes mixed with other buntings like reed buntings and corn buntings. These flocks roam fields and farmland searching for seeds.
They may also join with flocks of finches and other seed eating birds when feeding.
Flight
Yellowhammers have an undulating flight pattern, with bursts of rapid wing beats interspersed with gliding. Their white outer tail feathers and yellow wing panels are conspicuous when in flight.
Their flight when flushed is usually only short distances of 10-20m before landing again in cover. So flight views when out in the open are typically brief.
Breeding
Key aspects of yellowhammer breeding biology are:
- Nest site – In thick hedge, bush or scrub within 1-2m of ground.
- Nest – Cup of stems, grasses, moss lined with soft grass and hair.
- Eggs – Clutch of 4-5 eggs, white with dark speckles.
- Incubation – By female for around 13 days.
- Chicks – Both parents feed the young which fledge in 13 days.
- Broods – Usually 2 broods raised April to July.
Nesting habits
Yellowhammers build an open cup nest out of plant stems, grasses, moss and sometimes strips of bark. It is lined with fine grasses, hair and wool to provide a soft lining.
The nest is usually located around 1-2m above ground in a thick, bushy hedge or area of dense scrub. The hedge provides cover while the nest is built and conceals the nest when eggs are laid.
Favored nest sites are in thick hawthorn, blackthorn or gorse bushes. The female builds the nest alone over a period of around 1 week. Nesting material is collected from the ground nearby.
Eggs
A clutch of 4-5 eggs is laid, usually one per day. The eggs are ovular/elongated in shape, around 21mm x 16mm in size and pale blueish or greenish white in color with dark grey and brown speckles and streaks.
Only the female develops a brood patch and incubates the eggs. Incubation lasts for around 13 days before the eggs hatch.
Chicks
The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge after around 13 days. They are born with closed eyes and a covering of down feathers. Their eyes open at around 6 days.
They leave the nest at 13 days but remain dependent on the parents for a further 2 weeks. Parents may raise 2 broods per year between April and July.
Threats
Nesting threats include:
- Hay cutting – Nests built in long grass can be destroyed by mowing.
- Predators – Nest predation by crows, magpies, stoats etc.
- Pesticides – Can reduce insect food supplies.
- Wet weather – Can lead to starvation of chicks.
Adults have a number of anti-predator adaptations including streaked plumage to match surroundings when perched, undulating flight, and diving into thick cover when alarmed.
Feeding
Key aspects of yellowhammer feeding behavior are:
- Diet – Mainly seeds of cereal crops, weeds, grasses. Also insects when breeding.
- Foraging – On ground in short vegetation. Also flies to pick seeds from stems.
- Bill – Conical shape suited to cracking seeds.
- Winter flocks – Small flocks form outside breeding season.
- Crops – Favor seeds from cereal crops like wheat and barley.
Preferred Foods
Cereal grains from wheat, barley and oats form a major part of the diet. These provide high energy intake from cereals.
Small weed seeds like chickweeds, knotgrass and goosefoots are also favored. Dock, plantain and grass seeds are eaten too.
Oily seeds like rapeseed provide important pre-winter fat reserves. When breeding, caterpillars, beetles, spiders and insects are fed to chicks.
Foraging
Yellowhammers forage for seeds on the ground in areas of short vegetation. Their streaked plumage provides camouflage when feeding.
They sometimes perch on the stems of thistles, docks or small bushes and make short flights down to pick seeds off the ground before returning to the perch.
The conical bill shape is adapted for cracking tough seed coats. Food is manipulated with the tongue and then crushed with the bill tip.
Crops
Cereal crops provide an abundant source of food. Wheat and barley grains remaining after harvest are favored. Winter stubbles also provide seeds.
However, the switch from spring to autumn sowing of cereals has reduced wasted grain availability in recent decades, contributing to population declines.
Flocks
In winter, small flocks come together to forage in fields and farmland. This increases feeding efficiency and reduces predation risk.
Flocks are sometimes mixed with other buntings and finches. Birds maintain winter territories which overlap nesting areas.
Threats and Conservation
The key threats faced by yellowhammer populations are:
- Agricultural intensification – Loss of mixed farming, field margins.
- Nest losses – From mowing/cutting during breeding season.
- Pesticides – Reducing insect food supplies.
- Climate change – Potential mismatch of breeding time and food supply.
As a result, yellowhammer numbers decreased by around 50% between 1970 and 2015. However, there are conservation actions that can help yellowhammer populations recover:
- Retaining areas of rough grassland and scrub.
- Planting seed and insect rich flower margins around fields.
- Reducing pesticide use where possible.
- Delaying mowing of meadows and verges during breeding season.
- Planting bird seed covers on farmland over winter.
Agricultural intensification
The intensification of agriculture from the 1970s onwards caused major declines in yellowhammer numbers. Key harmful changes were:
- Loss of mixed farming – Cereal monocultures replaced diverse crop rotations.
- Switch from spring to autumn sowing – Reduced wasted grain over winter.
- Fewer undersown crops – Undersowing provided winter seed food.
- Loss of hedgerows and scrub – Removed nesting and roosting sites.
- Increased pesticide use – Reduced insect food availability.
These changes reduced food supplies and nesting sites leading to population crashes in many areas.
Nest losses
Hay and silage cutting from May to July can destroy nests built in long grass and cause large scale breeding failure. Some actions to reduce losses include:
- Delaying mowing of meadows and verges until August.
- Cutting from the center outwards to allow birds to escape.
- Checking areas carefully prior to mowing.
Pesticides
Use of pesticides and herbicides has reduced supplies of insect prey. Neonicotinoid seed treatments may also harm breeding birds. Reducing pesticide usage where possible would benefit yellowhammers.
Climate change
Milder springs have caused some birds to start nesting before food supplies peak. More frequent summer droughts can also cause chick starvation. Maintaining habitat diversity may help populations adapt.
Conservation actions
Measures that can help yellowhammer populations recover include:
- Retaining areas of rough grass, scrub and hedges for nesting.
- Planting seed rich mixes and wildflowers around field edges.
- Using selective pest control instead of blanket spraying.
- Providing winter seed food like kale, quinoa and cereals.
- Delaying mowing until late summer.
Agri-environment schemes that provide these habitats and food sources have been shown to boost numbers locally.
Summary
In summary, the yellowhammer is the British bird species with distinct yellow colouration on its wings. Key identification features include:
- Bright yellow head and underparts
- Brown streaked back and wings
- Obvious yellow panels in wings and tail
- Distinctive ‘little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese’ song
Yellowhammers are widespread across the UK and Ireland. They inhabit farmland, scrub, moorland and gardens. Despite population declines, they remain a recognizable farmland bird.
The yellowhammer feeds largely on seeds of cereal crops and weeds. Nests are built in thick hedges and the female incubates 4-5 eggs. They are amber listed as a species of conservation concern due to agricultural changes leading to reduced numbers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the yellowhammer’s bright yellow head and underparts, brown streaked plumage, and obvious yellow wing and tail patches make it identifiable as the British bird species with yellow on its wings. Despite population declines, it remains widespread across farmland, scrub and moorland habitats where its ‘little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese’ song is a familiar sound. Targeted conservation measures on farmland can help populations of this distinctive farmland finch recover.