The yellowhammer is much less often seen these days as changes in agricultural practices have lead to it’s decline. The species is currently on the red conservation status in Ireland.
This brightly coloured member of the bunting family can be found around arable fields especially this time of year in freshly harvested cereal fields as it feeds on grains.
In spring and early summer the males can be heard singing from their high perches in hedgerows or trees. Their repetitive song, with a bit of imagination, can be thought of them saying ‘a little bit of bread and NO cheese’
The continual decline of the yellowhammer is mostly down to the change of arable and mixed farming to grass fields (more than 90% of Irish farmland is grass) as well as the destruction and over management of the hedgerows.