Bird Guide

Common Reed Bunting vs Yellowhammer

Common Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

Common Reed Bunting

Emberiza schoeniclus

Small18 gWetland

The common reed bunting is a medium-sized bird, 13.5–15.5 cm (5.3–6.1 in) long and weighing 10–28 g, with a small but powerful seed-eating bill. The male has a black head and throat, white neck collar and underparts, and a heavily barred brown back. The female is much duller, with a streaked brown head, and more barring underneath. The male's song is a repetitive srip.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Common Reed Bunting
Recorded by Kevin Guille · Song · Birky, Lyubeshivs'kyi district, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine · CC0
Photo: Gabriele Vaudano · 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: Common Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer.