# Ortolan Bunting (*Emberiza hortulana*)

The ortolan bunting (*Emberiza hortulana*) is a bird of the family Emberizidae, in the order Passeriformes.

> The ortolan bunting (Emberiza hortulana) is a small songbird that breeds from Europe to Mongolia and winters in Africa south of the Sahara. It has an olive-grey head, yellow throat and pale eye-ring. It is best known for its use as a delicacy in France, which is now illegal. Globally it is Least Concern, but it is declining and has vanished from much of north-west Europe.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN-style):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Breeds from Iberia and Scandinavia east to Mongolia and north-west China; winters in the Sahel, Ethiopia, Eritrea and south-west Arabia.
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ortolan-bunting/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Passeriformes
- **Family:** Emberizidae
- **Genus:** Emberiza

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Emberiza hortulana |
| Diet | Seeds; insects when feeding chicks |
| Habitat | Open, warm hillsides with scattered trees, vineyards and farmland |
| Length | About 16–17 cm |
| Weight | About 20 g |
| Migration | Winters in the Sahel, Ethiopia and south-west Arabia |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2025) |

## Identification

Males have an olive-grey head and breast band, a pale yellow throat and moustache stripe, a narrow pale eye-ring and a pinkish bill. The underparts are warm orange-buff. Females and young birds are duller and streaked. The song is a short, ringing series of notes.

## A long-distance migrant

The IOC World Bird List describes a breeding range from Scandinavia and Iberia east across Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus to Kazakhstan, north-west China and Mongolia. In autumn the whole population flies south to winter in upland semi-arid country across the Sahel, Eritrea, Ethiopia and south-west Arabia.

## The ortolan dish

In France ortolans were traditionally caught on migration, fattened and eaten whole. BirdLife records the species as used for human food. It is listed on Annex I of the EU Birds Directive and protected under the Bern Convention, so hunting it for the table is illegal across the European Union.

## Status

BirdLife International lists the ortolan bunting as Least Concern globally (2025), with 11 to 17 million mature birds, but the trend is decreasing. Within the EU the breeding population fell by more than 25% in a decade and it is assessed as Near Threatened at EU level. It is now functionally extinct across much of north-west Europe, mainly because of changes in farming.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is it illegal to eat ortolan?

Yes, within the European Union. The ortolan bunting is protected under the EU Birds Directive (Annex I), so catching or killing it for food is illegal, including in France.

### Is the ortolan bunting endangered?

Not globally: BirdLife lists it as Least Concern because it is still widespread in eastern Europe and Asia. But it is declining and is Near Threatened at EU level.

### Where do ortolan buntings live?

They breed from Spain and Scandinavia east to Mongolia and spend the winter in Africa south of the Sahara and in south-west Arabia.

### How big is an ortolan bunting?

About 16–17 cm long and roughly 20 g, similar in size to a house sparrow.

## Sources

- [BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/ortolan-bunting-emberiza-hortulana)
- Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898
- [Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/)

## Help protect the Ortolan Bunting

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[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ortolan-bunting/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.