Yellowhammer Plumage

[Xurek]

Hey guys, hope you are all well.

Took this picture of a Yellowhammer today and comparing the picture later to my Collins Bird Guide I would think that this is an adult male in summer plumage but obviously this isn't the right time of year.

So my question is, what's going on?



Thanks for your time and Merry Christmas.

[Shrike]

Yes collins can be a little confusing as i found myself when i first bought mine , however what they are doing is showing the yellowhammer in full summer plumage and they dont show the winter plumage because it is very similar to the summer plumage , perhaps less bright.

[Xurek]

Thanks for your reply Shrike, I have noticed this for certain birds in the guide but that's what confused me this time is that they do have a seperate illustration for winter plumage males, although it is only the head.

But why would the bird I saw today actually be in summer plumage?

[Shrike]

well it seems to be that the head is different in winter , i don't see many yellowhammers but i am assuming that your pic is of a winter bird as depicted in collins as a summer bird as their is not much difference. The joys of our hobby

[Shrike]

ahh see what you mean now sorry , the face pattern is summer male yet we are winter and acccording to collins both sexes are darker in the face , sorry pass.

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by Xurek

But why would the bird I saw today actually be in summer plumage?

For most birds it can be better to try and think of it as breeding and non-breeding plumage, instead of summer and winter.
Breeding plumage is generally acquired well before the breeding season actually starts, so a few individuals of many species will be starting to get breeding plumage by now (during the winter). The moult into non-breeding plumage is usually immediately after breeding(mid-late summer). Black-headed Gulls, for instance, which featured in another recent thread, get their 'summer'/breeding plumage between late Dec & mid March, and most are in 'winter'\non-breeding plumage by July.

[Shrike]

Haha , thanks Roy
sometimes the obvious is hard to see , makes sense now.

[faz]

Originally Posted by RoyW

For most birds it can be better to try and think of it as breeding and non-breeding plumage, instead of summer and winter.
Breeding plumage is generally acquired well before the breeding season actually starts, so a few individuals of many species will be starting to get breeding plumage by now (during the winter). The moult into non-breeding plumage is usually immediately after breeding(mid-late summer). Black-headed Gulls, for instance, which featured in another recent thread, get their 'summer'/breeding plumage between late Dec & mid March, and most are in 'winter'\non-breeding plumage by July.

[Xurek]

Thank you very much for clearing that up RoyW. As shrike said it's all quite obvious when you just think about it

[Anomalous]

Remember that the feathers the bird has in the late autumn and the ones it will have in its bright breeding plumage, are one and the same. They only moult once a year, after breeding, in late summer-autumn. The fresh feathers have duller/darker tips to them. As the winter progresses, those duller tips to the feathers wear away to reveal the bright yellow underneath. The same happens with other species which change dramatically, like Reed Buntings and Bramblings, say....one set of feathers which change as the tips wear away.

Then, if you think that some older birds might breed early and so start their autumn moult early, they can already have the tips to those feathers wearing away to show the yellow beneath, before the new year.

Sorry...stating the obvious, I know!

Ian