Yellowhammer / Goldammer (Emberiza citrinella)

Wikipedia eBird Vogelwarte BirdLife ZH ornitho.ch bird-song.ch Xeno-Canto BirdID NABU

Goldammer am Aabach, Wetzikon. 2021-03-10 10.36.28 Wetzikon
Classification: Genus Buntings (Emberiza); Tribe Emberizini; Subfamily Emberizinae; Family Fringillidae
Habe ihn im Fehraltorfer-Wald endlich gesehen als er von einem Baum in die Spitze eines anderen geflogen ist.
The English language Wikipedia page for bunting says: The genus name Emberiza is from Old German Embritz, a bunting.[6] The origin of the English "bunting" is unknown. I always though it makes little sense that these birds are Ammer in German and Hammer in English, though neither seems logical. Ammer is just a corruption of Embritz, and Hammer presumably a folk etymology - 'oh, this sounds a bit like hammer, let's call it that!'.
vogelwarte.ch says it prefers areas around agriculture: hedges, orchards, fields, meadows. Heard in the woods next to farmer's fields in Fehraltorf. (Weidholzweg, next farm is Tuschacher. The breast has a checkerd pattern apparently typical of buntings (Emberizidae), that to me resembles that of many thrushes - but this seems to be coincidence.
Song: Kurzes Liedchen. „ Wie wie wie hab ich dich liiieb“ Das „Lieb“ ist meist etwas tiefer, kann aber auch höher sein oder doppelt, dabei das eine höher und das andere tiefer. Sehr variabel! [Link]
Song a series of 6-8 (or more) slightly ascending "tze" 's, rising in volume and ending on a sustained note, which may be lower or higher than the others. Often rendered as "little-bit-of-cheese-and-no-bread". Last note is often omitted, which may lead to confusion with Cirl Bunting. Timbre with prominent harmonics as in other bunting songs. [Link]
Calls: „zick“ „zeck“ [Link]
Distinct contact call: A short and brittle "zeet", rich in harmonics. [Link]
Physical details: length=16 cm, wingspan=23-29 cm, weight=25-36 g
Habitats: Agricultural

Song: High-pitched, two notes that sound like one, repeated 10-12 times, with a higher tweet and then a whistle that sounds higher to me but usually shows up on the sonogram as the same range. The mnemonic for the staccato song in German is: «Wie, wie, wie, wie hab ich dich lieb». See the image for dialects noted by yellowhammers.net - the most common Swiss dialect is said to be XlB, though I don't always hear the second note myself (and interestingly enough, it doesn't play on my Bose headphones). Pavel Pipek of the yellowhammers project kindly explained to me: 'Regarding the XlB and other dialects, these codes were defined by a Danish scientist Poul Hansen in his paper from 1985. In this case Xl stands for a syllable with high frequency (and long) and B for a syllable with low frequency.'
Song attributes: Melody: simple rhythmic, fast, Frequency: 4-8 KHz Singing season: 03-01 - 09-30 Dawn chorus start, 45 minutes before dawn.
Call: Automatically generated from Xeno-Canto recording

Source: BirdNet 20210421_083716 birdnet 1456 - Yellowhammer, I said Song Thrush - Yellowhammer - Fehraltorf.mp3 2021-04-21 08.37.16 Fehraltorf (song?)

First documented observation : 2020-05-26 in Hungerseeli.

Media


Ein Fehraltorfer Goldammer In einem Baum an der Alpweg-Grübenholzweg-Kreuzung 8:10 morgens. 2020-07-01 08.10.40 Alpweg

Ein Fehraltorfer Goldammer In einem Baum an der Alpweg-Grübenholzweg-Kreuzung 8:10 morgens. 2020-07-01 08.10.46 Alpweg

Wikipedia Goldammer (Emberiza citrinella). Source: WIKIPEDIA Wikipedia Goldammer_(Emberiza_citrinella).jpg

The most common yellowhammer dialects shown at the yellowhammers.net project - so cool! Most Swiss dialects shown on their map are XlB. In my own recordings so far, I hear (and on the sonograms see) a pause after the initial phrase rather than a higher note. I'd like to follow that further. Source: OTHER Yellowhammers.net dialect graphs.jpg

Goldammer. 2022-07-28 11.20.56 Am Aabach (Robenhausen)

Goldammer - as Wikipedia says it sounds Source: WIKIPEDIA Wikipedia Goldammer XN_Emberiza_citrinella.mp3 (song)

Habe den Goldammer im Wald gehört - und endlich auch gesehen An der Alpweg-Grübenholzweg-Kreuzung Source: BirdNet 20200701_081118 birdnet 745 finally saw the Yellowhammer - Yellowhammer.mp3 2020-07-01 08.11.18 Luppmen (song)

BirdNet thinks yellowhammer, Weidholzweg in woods, Fehraltorf Source: BirdNet 20200526_180559 birdnet 551 goldammer oder nicht - No confident detection.mp3 2020-05-26 18.05.59 Hungerseeli (song)


BirdNet thinks yellowhammer, Weidholzweg in woods, Fehraltorf Source: BirdNet 20200526_180516 birdnet 550 - Yellowhammer.mp3 2020-05-26 18.05.16 Hungerseeli (song)

Additional Images


Goldammer, Neunkirch. 2023-07-16 10.30.54 Neunkirch, Schaffhausen

Goldammer zeigt seine Kopffeder. 2022-06-22 17.33.42 Wauwilermoos

Goldammer in Wauwilermoos. 2022-06-22 17.32.30 Wauwilermoos

Goldammer am Aabach, Wetzikon. 2021-03-10 10.36.28 Pfäffikersee

Yellowhammers.net dialect graphs, full page. Source: OTHER Yellowhammers.net dialect graphs, full page.jpg

Additional Audio


♫ 2023-07-16 09 29 yellowhammer rising song Neunkirch 3, 13, 29, 41 seconds. 2023-07-16 09.29.00 Neunkirch, Schaffhausen (song)

♫ 2023-07-16 09 26 scratchy yellowhammer song, maybe subsong. 2023-07-16 09.26.00 Neunkirch, Schaffhausen (song)

♫ Yellowhammer with dialect XlB - see yellowhammer.net - after noise reduction in Audacity. Source: Zoom H6 2022-07-28 11.26.40 Am Aabach (Robenhausen) (song?)

Source: BirdNet 20210801_155817 birdnet 1879 - Yellowhammer bei Bahnlinie Richtung Illnau - Not analyzed - Fehraltorf.mp3 2021-08-01 15.58.17 Fehraltorf (song?)

Source: BirdNet 20210427_173426 birdnet 1488 - Yellowhammer - 2021-04-27 17:34:26 - Yellowhammer - Wetzikon.mp3 2021-04-27 17.34.26 Wetzikon (song?)

♫ To identify repeated calls, then saw yellowhammer at alpweg and gruebenholzweg. 2020-07-01 08.09.27 Alpweg (call)

Source: BirdNet 20200529_070721 birdnet 556 - Yellowhammer.mp3 2020-05-29 07.07.21 Luppmen (song?)

Source: BirdNet 20200529_070642 birdnet 555 also yellowhammer i think - Eurasian blackcap.mp3 2020-05-29 07.06.42 Luppmen (song?)

♫ Wikipedia Goldammer XN Emberiza citrinella. Source: WIKIPEDIA Wikipedia Goldammer XN_Emberiza_citrinella.ogg (song?)

♫ XC29721 - Yellowhammer - Emberiza citrinella - song with XlB dialect, recorded in Cudrefin, Switzerland. Source: XENOCANTO XC29721 - Yellowhammer - Emberiza citrinella - song with XlB dialect, recorded in Cudrefin, Switzerland.mp3 Switzerland (song)


♫ XC548502-goldammer-30-sekunden. Source: XENOCANTO XC548502-goldammer-30-sekunden.mp3 (song?)