The Yellowhammer is partly a resident, partly a short-distance migrant.
South: many birds stay put and form winter flocks in the farming country.
North: northern populations move south for the winter, often only as far as southern Sweden or neighbouring countries.
Movement: the migration is short and takes place within north-western Europe rather than to other continents.
Females travel furthest: in the Yellowhammer, females and young birds tend to move further south than the old males, which prefer to stay near the breeding territory so as to be first in place come spring.