Bird Guide

Cirl Bunting vs Yellowhammer

Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)

Cirl Bunting

Emberiza cirlus

Small26 gShrubland

The cirl bunting is like a small yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella), and is around 15.5 cm (6.1 in) in length with a wing-span 22–25.5 cm (8.7–10.0 in). It has a thick seed-eater's bill. The male has a bright yellow head, with a black crown, eyestripe and throat, and a greenish breast band across its otherwise yellow underparts, and a heavily streaked brown back. The female is much more like the yellowhammer, but has a streaked grey-brown rump and chestnut shoulders. The monotonous song of the male is a rattling trill, like the Arctic warbler or the terminal rattle of the lesser whitethroat.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Cirl Bunting
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Alarm call · Cabane Vauban (Carolles), Manche, Normandie, France · CC0
Photo: Hugo Caillon · CC BY 4.0
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

Yellowhammer

Emberiza citrinella

Small30 gShrubland

The yellowhammer is a large bunting, 16–16.5 cm (6.3–6.5 in) long, with a 23–29.5 cm (9.1–11.6 in) wingspan; it weighs 20–36.5 g (0.71–1.29 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies E. c. citrinella has a bright yellow head, heavily streaked brown back, rufous rump, yellow under parts, and white outer tail feathers. The female is less brightly coloured, and more streaked on the crown, breast, and flanks. Both sexes are less strongly marked outside the breeding season, when the dark fringes on new feathers obscure the yellow plumage. Voice: The song of the cock yellowhammer is a series of short notes, gradually increasing in volume and followed by one or two more protracted notes. It is often represented as "A little bit of bread and no cheese", and the full version can be confused with the almost identical song of the pine bunting. If the final notes are omitted, confusion with the cirl bunting is possible.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Yellowhammer
Recorded by Philippe_Grange · Song · Arrondissement of Bressuire (near La Forêt-sur-Sèvre), Deux-Sèvres, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France · CC0
Photo: Svyatoslav Knyazev · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Cirl Bunting and Yellowhammer.