Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana)

OTHER NAMES: Ortolan
Latin Etymology: Emberiza ("bunting")  hortulana ("gardener")

Adult Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) at Side, Antalya, turkey - April 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A 
Weight: 21-27g  /  Length: 16-17cm  /  Wingspan: 23-29cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

 A widely but patchily distributed species over much of Eurasia, the ortolan in many ways is a fairly unobtrusive bunting that is noted for its presence in French cuisine. The particular recipe involves a rather cruel and bizarre process involving catching the birds and keeping them in the dark with enough millet that they gorge themselves, then they are drowned and marinated in the brandy and are then cooked in their own fat. A traditional manner of consuming them involving covering ones head with a white cloth or towel, which, depending on who you ask, may be to shield the act from the eyes of God. Either way, the practice seems to have severely affected the population in Europe despite being technically banned by EU law.

Related Species:wawa
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Emberiza
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

TURKEY  - Turkish: Bayağı Kirazkuşu ("Common Cherrybird")
 - ANTALYA 2025 TRIP - Several birds near Side. 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Cretzschmar's bunting (Emberiza caesia)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Emberiza ("bunting") caesia ("blueish grey")

Adult Cretzschmar's bunting (Emberiza caesia) at Side, Antalya, turkey - April 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 20-25g  /  Length: 14-15.5cm  /  Wingspan: 22-25cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A small species of bunting primarily breeds around the Aegean and the Levant, and wintering in Sudan. They are closely related to the Ortolan bunting, though the general differentiation is the head colour; in this case Cretzschamar's is silvery grey vs a more green tinged head on the ortolan. Their eponym is named for Philip Jakob Cretzschmar, who was a physician, scientist and associate of Eduard Rüppell.

Related Species:wawa
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Emberiza
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

TURKEY  - Turkish: Kızıl kiraz kuşu ("Red Cherry Bird")
 - ANTALYA 2025 TRIP - Several birds near Side. 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Emberiza ("bunting") cirlus (ultimately derived via Italian from zirlare; "to chirp")

Adult male Cirl Bunting (subspecies E. c. cirlus) at Roseland Penninsula, Cornwall - July 2019

Featured Subspecies: Emberiza cirlus cirlus
Weight: 21-27g  /  Length: 15.5cm  /  Wingspan: 22-25.5cm
UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

It is an established trend that farmland birds have suffered from industrialisation the most, and the Cirl Bunting is a prime example; once a widely spread resident of the UK, modern farming techniques utterly crashed it's population, restricting it solely to a stretch of the South Devon Coast where it remains largely restricted to this day.  There is some small good news however; a reintroduced population in South Cornwall seems to be doing well, which is where I caught some distant views of them.  The population on the continent is far healthier, and is widely distributed around the Mediteranean.

Related Species:

Order:Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Emberiza
SUBSPECIES: E. c. cirlus, E. c. nigrostriata

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare resident with a very restricted range.

 - Several birds seen on the Roseland Penninsula in 2019.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Emberiza ("bunting") cia (Italian name for the species)

Male Rock Bunting (Subspecies E. c. cia) at Patones, Spain - June 2015

Featured Subspecies: Emberiza cia cia
Weight: 25-29g  /  Length: 17cm  /  Wingspan: 24cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern 

 A handsome little bunting that Luis spotted for us in the valley above Patones - it shares the same basic markings as the Cirl Bunting that is found in the UK, but with the yellow removed from the plumage.  They live on rocky hillsides with limited vegetation, though this bird proved fairly showy - boldly crossing the path in front of us in plain view until startled off by a cyclist coming down the hill.  They are found throughout the Mediterranean through to the mountains of Pakistan and India.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Emberiza
Subspecies: E. c. cia, E. c. hordei, E. c. prageri, E. c. par

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Escribano montesino ("Mountain Scribe")

Locally common resident.

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Pair seen at Patones 
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: A number seen at Monfrague National Park 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra)

OTHER NAMES: Common Bunting

Latin Etymology: Emberiza ("bunting") calandra (Calandra lark)

Adult Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra) at Trevose Head, Cornwall - April 2014

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 32-67g  /  Length: 18cm  /  Wingspan: 29cm
UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Corn Bunting is a red status species within the UK, although classed as "least concern" globally. As such the trick with seeing this is to go to an area where they are known to live, as in general their distribution is patchy. Personally, I've seen them around the Padstow area in north Cornwall, but am not familiar enough with the species to offer any other locations. For photographic purposes they are a relatively convenient bird in that, although flighty, they seem to perch high on plants in easy view to sing.  While a seriously depleted bird in the UK, in Spain they remain abundant and can even end up being one of those species that you end up dismissing while looking for other things.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Emberiza
Subspecies: none - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Uncommon and local resident (11,000 territories) - formerly far commoner prior to modern farming

 - Seen regularly around Trevose Head in Cornwall.

SPAIN - Spanish - Triguero ("Wheat-trader")

A common resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen frequently throughout at various countryside locations.

Further Information: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

OTHER NAMES: Reed Sparrow

Latin Etymology: Emberiza ("bunting") schoeniclus (bird mentioned by Aristotle - possibly wagtail)

  Adult male Reed Bunting (subspecies E. s. schoeniclus) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire, May 2026

Featured Subspecies: Emberiza schoeniclus schoeniclus
Weight: 21kg  /  Length: 16cm  /  Wingspan: 24cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The reed bunting is the second most common bunting in the UK, but perhaps actually easier to see than the Yellowhammer. While mainly a species of reed-beds which can probably be seen at any decently sized piece of such habitat in the country, I've also spotted it several times in the hedgerows around Geddington - as a species it is becoming able to live in environments other than it's original reed beds. That being said, the best place to see them is still going to be places with decent amounts of reeds, personally, I've seen the best quantities in Rainham and Rutland Water.


Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Emberiza
Subspecies: E. s. schoeniclus, E. s. passerina, E. s. parvirostris, E. s. parivrostris, E. s. pyrrhulina, E. s. minor, E. s. stresemanni, E. s. ukrainae, E. s. incognita, E. s. pallidior, E. s. witherbyi, E. s. lusitanica, E. s. intermedia, E. s. intermedia, E. s. tschusii, E. s. reiseri, E. s. caspia, E. s. korejewi, E. s. pyrrhuloides, E. s. harterti, E. s. centralasiae, E. s. zaidamensis

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common to locally abundant breeding resident (250,000 territories) 

 - Seen at sites including but not limited to Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes and Elmley Marshes. Winter visitor to Geddington.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

OTHER NAMES: Yellow Bunting, Scribbler
Latin Etymology: Emberiza ("bunting") citrinella (Italian name for a small yellow bird)

Adult male Yellowhammer (subspecies E. c. citrinella) at Geddington, Northants - May 2012

Featured Subspecies: Emberiza citrinella citrinella
Weight: 20-36g  /  Length: 16.5cm  /  Wingspan: 23-29cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Yellowhammers are sparrow sized and shaped birds most notable for their bright yellow colouration, which makes them more or less unmistakable. They feed on seeds and insects and live in rural environments, the ones I've seen have all been in thick hedgerows, usually at the edge of fields, or on the edges of woods bordering on fields. They are the most widespread and distinctive of the buntings - a bright yellow bird perched on a hedgerow is almost inevitably a yellowhammer. A lot of countryside walks probably have a decent chance of seeing these birds, but personally I've found that I see far more of them on the footpaths around my village than I have elsewhere.

Related Species:

Order:Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Emberiza
Subspecies: E. c. caliginosa, E. c. citrinella, E. c. erythrogenys  

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A generally widespread but scarce species (710,000 territories)

 - Seen at locations including Geddington, Rutland Water and Brigstock

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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