Just a yellowhammer? 2nd April 2023, Littleport, Cambridgeshire, UK (1 Viewer)

[Evan Atkinson]

Hi all, came across this bird which I had down as a yellowhammer but the red/maroon colouring really threw me off. Could it be a hybrid? Attached are two pictures of the bird, one with a female yellowhammer next to it.


Many thanks
Evan

 

[THE_FERN]

Not seeing anything unusual here. Males do have rufous side streaking

 

[Prestdj]

classic yellowhammer

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Evan,

tfs this interesting Yellowhammer!
I presume you mean the red speckles in the supercilium and the moustachial stripe. Especially the bits above the eye are signs of intogression from Pine Bunting according to literature.

You know that I am interested in this topic for some time now:

Yellowhammer of ssp erythrogenys in western Europe

Hello, Yellowhammer of the ssp erythrogenys are said to reach some parts of western Europe according to literature. I hope for information about this ssp, for example answer to the following questions, although I am well aware of difficulties in (confident) identification of this ssp. what is...

www.birdforum.net

And the red moustache is also more extensive than in the majority of YH in Germany during summer (yes I have a few similar birds with a red moustachial stripe in NE Germany during summer).

And the grey hues on the neck is also rare in summer YH in Germany. What a pity, that your bird has a clear olive tinge there, not pale pure grey. So its useless, yes I think so: its either pure or better skipped???

Yes I might well seeing things, but:
what is with the pale whitish-citrine edges to the primaries? I have seen YH with this exact hue in the head and belly only in winter except 2 or 3...

(and the extensive and orange tinged rufous hues (exact shade) on the belly are also unusual at least for summer YH in Germany. But yes, I have seen quite a few now after specifically looking for them.)

I realized that this comment came out more confident than it is intended to be. Like you, I hope for more comments. Are those features, especially on the head, present in breeding YH in the UK?

See also here

http://www.nw-ornithologen.de/images/textfiles/charadrius/charadrius48_1_40_45_duff_goldammer_fichtenammer_hybrid_wahner_heide_vdm_februar2012.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285288567_Panov_EN_Roubtsov_AS_Monzikov_DG_Hybridization_between_yellowhammer_and_pine_bunting_in_Russia_Dutch_Birding_2003_25_17-31

Pine Bunting…

…genes in some Yellowhammers I have not had a good look at Yellowhammer flocks recently though have made a bit of a habit of it in the past. As a result I have managed to find one female Pine…

birdingfrontiers.wordpress.com

Yellowhammer × Pine Bunting?

Hi. I would like to request more insight on this interesting record from Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It was reported on 28 March, 2021 by a resident photographer, Imran Shah. Yellowhammer was once reported on 18 Nov, 2019 (Country's first) at Gojal, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Pine...

www.birdforum.net

Interesting male Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) in Imatra Finland 6.12.2017 | pirhonenj

Hybrid or not - Yellowhammer with red on throat

The Yellowhammer in the four photos below was seen by Jannik Andersen on May 24th 2014 in a private garden on Maglebjergvej just north of H...

birdsdk.blogspot.com

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312070597_Wintering_hybrids_Pine_Bunting_x_Yellowhammer_in_northern_Iran

there is also an accepted YH x Pine Bunting hybrid from France in summer, I see if I can dig it out

Again: tfs and I hope for more comments!

 

[Evan Atkinson]

Thank you all for the comments, it did strike me as a rather interesting yellowhammer for the reasons Alex has stated. There were several other males there who were singing and I do not recall this bird calling at all. Obviously the bright yellow and the red moustachal stripe is what struck me the most to request more views on this bird. I did at the time think pine bunting was involved but I am not sure there is...

Kind regards

Evan

 

[01101001]

Some authors think the said ssp. erythrogenys is of hybrid origin, while others disagree. Re the former approach, see the text at the bottom of page 3, illustration on page 4 and table on page 2: https://www.researchgate.net/public...bunting_in_Russia_Dutch_Birding_2003_25_17-31 (already supplied by Alexander above). Conservative result: 0 (I) + 3 (II) + 2 (III) = 5 (HI), which should make it a hybrid.

Bad news: the latter approach is currently assumed to be true by most, which should make it non-hybrid ssp. erythrogenys? Should be at least unusual for the UK (from what I remember from reading some blogs about British hybrid Yellowhammer candidates a while ago).

EDIT: picture attached

 

[Steve Lister]

Birds like this make me realise how poorly I know exactly what common birds look like.
The broad reddish-brown moustachial stripe certainly looks odd and might suggest a hybrid.
Well noticed Evan !