The Yellowhammer is a striking yellow coloured song bird that has quite a long body and a long forked tail. It can be found throughout the country on grassland, fields, heathlands and alongside railway embankments. It can often be seen on the top of a hedge or bush singing quick songs which have lots of repeated notes. It can also be seen perching on over-head wires singing.

The male Yellowhammer has a bright yellow head and breast and its back is a chestnut brown with lots of dark streaks. Its rump is a deep reddish brown colour and its long tail is black and yellow. The female is similar in appearance, but she has greenish brown feathers on her neck and breast and the yellow feathers are not as bright as the male’s. The female also has a deep reddish brown coloured rump and a black and yellow long tail.

Yellowhammers fly in a rather jerky manner because they seem to fly up and down in the air. These birds often hunt for food on the ground and sometimes they can be seen in groups foraging for food. They mainly eat grass, nettle, chickweed and dock seeds, but they also eat insects such as grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars.