Anyway here are the facts:
 |
| Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) |
- They are resident all across the UK apart from North and West Scotland where they are only found during the summer.
- Despite the fact that they have 710,000 breeding territories in the UK, they are a Red Status bird as they have had population declines recently.
- They are small birds being only 16cm in length and only having a 26cm wingspan. As well as this, both male and female weigh only 31g.
- They are most common in arable areas but also can be found in scrubs, pastures, broadleaved areas and villages.
- They first breed when they are one year old in April-June and lay 2-3 clutches which usually consist of 3-4 eggs.
- They have a typical lifespan of 3 years but the oldest recorded Yellowhammer was 11 years 9 months and 28 days old.
 |
| Feeding on muddy ground really makes them stand out |
- They have a distinctive call which is known as 'little bit of bread and no cheese!' It has enough syllables to fit several things like 'sweet and sour chicken, fried rice!'
- One of my favourite authors named Enid Blyton made the above statement popular in one of her books. (By the way, I don't mean the chicken one...)
- The Yellowhammer's nest is a large egg cup shape. It is made by the female with grass and moss which is then lined with hair and more grass. The nest is usually built near the ground in hedgerows.
- The first record of Yellowhammers was in the Anglo Saxon times. There is also fossil evidence from 10,000-120,000 years ago.
Here are some links to some more information:
Hope you enjoyed,
Z.
No comments:
Post a Comment