Yellow feathers, whether on the belly or breast, make the bird world more colourful. Such specimens are easier for us humans to notice. We then ask ourselves curiously: what species does the discovered bird belong to?
Table of Contents
5 Stand bird
The following bird species stay with us all year round, even if they are less noticeable to us in winter.
Blaumeise – Cyanistes caeruleus
- Size: 11 to 12 cm
- Appearance: blue plumage, but with a yellow belly; black eye stripes
- Distribution: mainly in the lowlands
- Habitat: deciduous and mixed deciduous forests with oaks; Cultural landscapes with trees and bushes
- Diet: Insects and spiders preferred in the breeding season; otherwise also seeds
- Other: songbird; good climber
Tip: The blue and yellow bird naturally likes to nest in tree cavities. If you want to provide him with a nesting box in the garden, there is still a good chance that he will use it as a nesting place. In winter he is happy about fat balls.
Erlenzeisig – Spinus spinus
- Size: 12cm
- Appearance: grey-green back; black wings; Males have yellow belly and thorax, females have light gray underparts
- Distribution: all of Germany
- Habitat: in the breeding season coniferous and mixed forests; in winter they migrate in swarms through open landscapes
- Nutrition: Seeds and buds (mainly from alder and birch); occasionally nuts and insects
- Other: songbird with distinctive song; partly partial puller
Mountaineering – Motacilla cinerea
- Other name: gray wagtail
- Size: 17 to 20 cm
- Appearance: slim build with long tail; upper surface grey; intense yellow chest and belly area
- Distribution: all of Germany
- Habitat: Flowing and often wooded bodies of water
- Diet: mainly insects and their larvae
- Other: Often breeds on bridges, mills and weirs
Goldammer – Emberiza citrinella
- Size: 16 to 17 cm
- Appearance: Females are inconspicuous grey-green; During the breeding season, males wear a brown plumage with a yellow belly and head
- Distribution: all of Germany
- Habitat: Cultural landscapes with copses, bushes and hedges
- Nutrition: Seeds; Nestlings mainly insects such as spiders, grasshoppers and moth larvae
- Other: songbird; some animals fly short distances south before winter
Kohlmeise – Parus major
- Size: 13 to 15 cm
- Appearance: plump build with yellow belly and chest with black vertical stripe; black head with white cheeks; grey-blue wings with white band
- Distribution: all of Germany
- Habitat: deciduous and mixed forests; parks and gardens
- Diet: insects, larvae, spiders in summer; mostly seeds in winter
- Other: Largest species of tit in Europe. This bird is said to have a rather monotonous song, which consists of a large number of short tones.
Note: Welcome the presence of a great tit in the garden as this bird loves to eat the much hated and feared aphids.
6 long-distance migrants (long-distance migrants)
Although many of the long-distance migrants are small bird species, they spare no time or effort in spending the winter in warm regions, often on other continents.
Falkenraubmöwe – Stercorarius longicaudus
- Size: 40 to 55 cm
- Appearance: nape and top of head black; throat white; breast white with yellowish tinge; Back and wings brown-green
- Distribution: in autumn and spring on the Baltic Sea coast and North Sea coast (rather a few stray specimens)
- Habitat: Coastal areas of northern Europe; Breeding area: arctic tundra; Wintering areas from autumn: southern Atlantic and Pacific
- Diet: on the coast: fish and crustaceans; in breeding areas: voles, bank voles and other mammals; also insects and berries
- Other: Seabird
Yellow mocker – Hippolais icterina
- Size: 12 to 13.5 cm
- Appearance: small and slender body with a large head; The upper side is grey-green, the belly and chest areas are pale yellow, with a yellow transition stripe
- Distribution: from April to September with us; winters in Africa, south of the equator
- Habitat: various habitats with sparse trees or bushes
- Diet: Insects, rarely spiders and harvestmen; Berries and fruits only exceptionally
- Miscellaneous: loud and varied singing bird, mostly hidden in treetops
Orpheusspötter – Hippolais polyglotta
- Size: 13cm
- Appearance: greenish-brown top; pale yellow abdomen; with yellow stripe over eye; Males are more intensely colored
- Distribution: April to August in Germany; winters in Africa, south of the Sahara
- Habitat: sunny and open areas with at most a few trees; e.g. B. Vineyards, heathland, copses
- Diet: Insects, spiders and fruits
- Miscellaneous: Can easily be mistaken for another bird of the genus mocker, the yellow mocker; sings more varied
Pirol – Oriolus oriolus
- Size: 20 to 25 cm
- Appearance: Wings, tail and a stripe on each eye are black; reddish beak; bright yellow abdomen and thorax in males; paler in female and mottled on breast area
- Distribution: from May to August throughout Germany, but only at low altitudes; winters in tropical Africa
- Habitat: almost all sunny and light forests; also parks and gardens; preferably near water
- Diet: caterpillars and butterflies; sugary fruits like cherries and other berries
- Miscellaneous: Vogel with flute, varied song
Note: The oriole can only rarely be observed, it is more likely to be heard. For one thing, the population in Central Europe is not overwhelmingly large. On the other hand, this bird usually hides in the dense crowns of tall trees.
Schafstelze – Yellow Wagtail
- Size: 15 to 16 cm
- Appearance: light green back; black tail and dark wings; yellow underparts and yellow thorax (pale yellow in females)
- Distribution: from May to October in almost all of Germany; winters south of the Sahara
- Habitat: Meadows and fields near water
- Diet: Flies and other insects disturbed by grazing animals; also snails, spiders and worms
- Other: songbird with rather simple sounds
Waldlaubsänger – Phylloscopus sibilatrix
- Size: 11 to 13 cm
- Appearance: greenish upper part, lighter lower part; Chest and head lemon yellow, yellow stripe over eyes
- Distribution: from April to September throughout Germany; winters in the rainforests and wet savannahs of Africa (near the equator)
- Habitat: light deciduous and mixed forests; parks
- Diet: spiders, mollusks, insects and their larvae; additional berries in autumn
- Miscellaneous: The songbird finds fewer and fewer suitable habitats in this country due to intensive forestry
3 short-distance migrants
The short-distance migrants are not classic migratory birds, but they do cover shorter distances in the fall in search of milder wintering sites.
Girlitz – Serinus serinus
- Size: 12cm
- Appearance: plump body with short neck; wings darkly striped; bright yellow breast
- Distribution: all of Germany with the exception of the North Sea coast; part of the population overwinters in the Mediterranean and parts of western Europe
- Habitat: open landscapes with bushes, slopes and flat regions; managed settlement areas (followers of cultures)
- Diet: buds and seeds; in summer also small insects
- Miscellaneous: The bird squeaks and trills; smallest European falcon species
Löffler – Platalea leucorodia
- Other name: Spoonbill
- Size: 80 to 100 cm
- Appearance: mainly white; golden breast; bill is black with a yellow tip; Decorative feathers on the head
- Distribution: Wadden Sea coast; winters more southerly, mainly in Mediterranean regions
- Habitat: Shallow water areas such as shallow lakes, coastal lagoons or tidal creeks
- Diet: Aquatic insects, small fish, mussels and snails
- Miscellaneous: Seabird that remains largely silent. Only occasionally makes grunting and howling sounds.
Lemon Siskin – Carduelis citrinella
- Other name: Lemon Canary
- Size: 12 to 12.5 cm
- Appearance: yellowish green; skull, nape and neck grey-brown; Male has yellow underparts
- Distribution: Bavarian Alps and High Black Forest; from March to October; predominantly short-distance migrants (southwestern Europe)
- Habitat: Mountain forests with spruce stands
- Diet: Wild herbs, buds and coniferous seeds
- Other: Call sounds metallic, high and slightly nasal
