Yellowhammer

Emberiza citrinella

Sings 'a little bit of bread and no cheese' from every hedge in spring. Couldn't be more British.

Population: Very large — European population estimated at roughly 54–93 million mature individuals (Eurasian total ~73–186 million)
Habitat: Dry, open country with mixed vegetation and scattered trees or hedgerows — farmland, hedges, forest edges, and large clearings; avoids dense forest, wetlands, and urban areas
Fun fact: The yellowhammer's rhythmic song is traditionally rendered in English folklore (popularized by children's author Enid Blyton) as "a little bit of bread and no cheese," and has inspired musical compositions by Beethoven and Olivier Messiaen.
Range: Widespread across the Palearctic, breeding from Britain and western Europe east through Siberia to Mongolia; northern/eastern populations migrate south in winter. Introduced and now established in New Zealand and Australia (also recorded as a vagrant in Egypt, UAE, Iceland, and the Himalayas)
Diet: Mainly seeds and grain (favoring starchy over oily seeds, e.g. from nettles, docks, and cereals), foraged on the ground often in flocks; switches to invertebrates such as grasshoppers, flies, beetles, caterpillars, and spiders to feed itself and nestlings during the breeding season
Size: 0.165 m
Wingspan: 0.26 m
Lifespan: 13 years

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