Ortolan Bunting

Emberiza hortulana

Once eaten under a napkin to hide the act from God. Now under strict protection — and only delivering messages.

Population: 11-17 million mature individuals globally (decreasing trend)
Habitat: Open, low-intensity mixed farmland and dry, sparsely vegetated slopes/rugged open mountainous terrain (up to 2,500m in the south) with scattered trees or bushes for breeding; in winter uses savanna, scrub, and cultivated land in the Sahel
Fun fact: The Ortolan Bunting is infamous as a French delicacy: birds were traditionally trapped, force-fed millet to fatten (roughly doubling their weight), drowned in Armagnac, then roasted and eaten whole while diners covered their heads with a napkin (reportedly to preserve the aromas, or to hide from God). This tradition fueled illegal poaching — an estimated up to 50,000 birds killed annually — until France (1999) and the EU enforced hunting bans.
Range: Full migrant breeding across Europe and parts of temperate Asia (west to Iberia/Scandinavia, east to Mongolia/Russia; Extent of Occurrence ~20.2 million km²); winters in sub-Saharan Africa (Sahel belt); occurs seasonally in 80+ countries
Diet: Mainly seeds; switches to insects and other invertebrates (e.g. beetles) during the breeding season to feed nestlings
Size: 0.165 m
Wingspan: 0.26 m
Lifespan: 7 years

More Songbirds