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 -
- ANTALYA 2025 TRIP - Several birds near Side.
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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