View source for Biology:Ortolan bunting

{{Short description|Species of bird in Eurasia}}
{{Speciesbox
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{Cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |title=''Emberiza hortulana'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T22720916A111136121 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22720916A111136121.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| image   = Ortolan bunting in Sierra de Guara, Aragon, Spain.jpg
| taxon = Emberiza hortulana
| authority = [[Biography:Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
| range_map = EmberizaHortulanaIUCN2019-3.png
| range_map_caption = Range of ''E. hortulana''{{leftlegend|#00FF00|Breeding|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#007FFF|Non-breeding|outline=gray}}  
}}

The '''ortolan''' ('''''Emberiza hortulana'''''), also called '''ortolan bunting''', is a Eurasian bird in the [[Biology:Bunting (bird)|bunting]] family [[Biology:Emberizidae|Emberizidae]], a [[Biology:Passerine|passerine]] family now separated by most modern scholars from the [[Biology:Finch|finch]]es, [[Biology:Fringillidae|Fringillidae]]. The genus name ''Emberiza'' is from Alemannic German {{lang|goh|Embritz}}, a bunting. The specific ''hortulana'' is from the Italian name for this bird, {{lang|it|ortolana}}.<ref name="job">{{Cite book |last=Jobling |first=James A. |year=2010 |title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names |url=https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling |publisher=Christopher Helm |location=[[Place:London|London]] |isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n145 145], 195 }}</ref> The English ''ortolan'' is derived from [[Social:Middle French|Middle French]] {{lang|frm|hortolan}}, "gardener".<ref name=OED>{{Cite OED | Ortolan }}</ref>

The ortolan is served in French cuisine, typically cooked and eaten whole. Traditionally diners cover their heads with their napkin or a towel while eating the delicacy.  The bird is so widely used that its French populations dropped dangerously low, leading to laws restricting its use in 1999. In September 2007, the French government announced its intent to enforce long-ignored laws protecting the bird.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20868380 |title=Roasted songbird? French dish now a no-no |work=NBC News |agency=Associated Press |date=19 September 2007 |access-date=30 March 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1562561/Franceandrsquos-songbird-delicacy-is-outlawed.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630072405/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1562561/Franceandrsquos-songbird-delicacy-is-outlawed.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2008 |title=France's songbird delicacy is outlawed |first=Susan |last=Bell |newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph |date=9 September 2007 |access-date=21 February 2008 }}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
The ortolan bunting was [[Biology:Species description|described]] by the Swedish naturalist [[Biography:Carl Linnaeus|Carl Linnaeus]] in 1758 in the [[Biology:10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]] of his ''[[Biology:Systema Naturae|Systema Naturae]]'' and retains its original [[Biology:Binomial nomenclature|binomial]] name of ''Emberiza hortulana''.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl |  year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1| edition=10th | page=177 | publisher=Holmiae:Laurentii Salvii  | language=la | url= https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727084 }}</ref> The species is monotypic.<ref name=ioc>{{Cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | year=2018 | title=Buntings | work=World Bird List Version 9.1 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/buntings/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=6 June 2019 }}</ref> A molecular phylogenetic study of the buntings published in 2008 found that the ortolan bunting is most closely related to [[Biology:Cretzschmar's bunting|Cretzschmar's bunting]] (''Emberiza caesia'').<ref>{{ cite journal | last1=Alström | first1=P. | last2=Olsson | first2=U. | last3=Lei | first3=F. | last4=Wang | first4=H. | last5=Gao | first5=W. | last6=Sundberg | first6=P. | year=2008 |url=https://www.nrm.se/download/18.61d98c3a11a91af311a80001022/Alstr%C3%B6m%20et%20al%20Emberizini%20MPEV%202008.pdf | title=Phylogeny and classification of the Old World Emberizini (Aves, Passeriformes) | journal=[[Biology:Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution]] | volume=47 | issue=3 | pages=960–973 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2007.12.007 | pmid=18411062 }}</ref>

==Description==
{{Multiple image
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| align = top
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| header = Ortolan bunting
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| image1 = Emberiza hortulana 1.jpg
| caption1 = Female
| image2 = Emberiza hortulana 2.jpg
| caption2 = Male
}}
[[File:Emberiza hortulana nhm.jpg|thumb|Ortolan bunting bird mount preparation]]
[[File:Emberiza hortulana MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.217 Neschers.jpg|thumb|Ortolan eggs]]
The ortolan bunting is {{Cvt|16|-|17|cm}} in length and has a wing-span of {{Cvt|23|-|29|cm}}.{{Sfn|Cramp|Perrins|1994|p=209}}  In appearance and habits it much resembles its relative the [[Biology:Yellowhammer|yellowhammer]], but lacks the bright colouring of that species; the ortolan's head, for instance, is greenish-grey, instead of a bright yellow. The song of the male ortolan resembles that of the yellowhammer.

==Distribution and habitat==
A native of most European countries and western Asia,  it reaches as far north as Scandinavia and beyond the Arctic Circle, frequenting cornfields and their neighbourhoods. It is an uncommon vagrant in spring, and particularly autumn, to the [[Place:British Isles|British Isles]].

It was spotted at Kenjar Coastal Karnataka, India, in November 2018 and photographed by birdwatchers. Some birders commented that it is the first photographic record of an ortolan bunting in India.<ref name="Ortolan Bunting Spotted">{{Cite news |title='First photo' of Ortolan Bunting in India is out |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/ortolan-bunting-spotted-in-mangaluru/article25561022.ece |access-date=22 November 2018 |work=The Hindu |date=22 November 2018}}</ref>

==Behaviour==
Ortolan nests are placed on or near the ground.

The maximum age recorded is six years and ten months for a bird found dead in Switzerland.<ref>{{Cite web|title=European Longevity Records |url=https://euring.org/data-and-codes/longevity-list?page=6 |publisher=Euring |access-date=8 June 2019}}</ref>

Seeds are the natural diet, but [[Biology:Beetle|beetle]]s and other insects are taken when feeding their young.

== As food ==

{{quote box
| quote = For centuries, a rite of passage for French gourmets was the eating of the Ortolan. These tiny birds—captured alive, force-fed, then drowned in Armagnac—were roasted whole and eaten that way, bones and all, while the diner draped his head with a linen napkin to preserve the precious aromas and, some believe, to hide from God.
| source = ''The Wine Spectator''<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.winespectator.com/magazine/show/id/8222 | title= France Bans an Old Culinary Tradition | date=30 June 1999 | access-date=2011-04-11}}</ref>
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The birds are caught with nets set during their autumn migratory flight to Africa. They are then kept in covered cages or boxes. The birds react to the dark by gorging themselves on grain, usually millet seed, until they double their bulk. The birds are then thrown into a container of Armagnac, which both drowns and marinates the birds.<ref name="Telegraph">{{Cite news |last=Wallop |first=Harry |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/11102100/Why-French-chefs-want-us-to-eat-this-bird-head-bones-beak-and-all.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=18 September 2014 |title=Why French chefs want us to eat this bird – head, bones, beak and all |access-date=16 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303221803/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/11102100/Why-French-chefs-want-us-to-eat-this-bird-head-bones-beak-and-all.html |archive-date=3 March 2021
|publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited (Press Holdings) 
|publication-place=London |issn=0307-1235 }}</ref><ref name="CNBC">{{Cite news |last=Im |first=Jim |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/04/real-story-about-the-illegal-ortolan-delicacy-eaten-on-billions.html |date=6 May 2018 |title=The illegal delicacy Axe ate on 'Billions' is a real thing — here's the story behind it |access-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318071049/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/04/real-story-about-the-illegal-ortolan-delicacy-eaten-on-billions.html |archive-date=18 March 2021 |work=CNBC |publisher=National Broadcasting Company (NBCUniversal)}}</ref>

The bird is roasted for eight minutes and then plucked.  The consumer then places the bird feet first into their mouth while holding onto the bird's head.  The ortolan is then eaten whole, with or without the head, and the consumer spits out the larger bones.  The traditional way French gourmands eat ortolans is to cover their heads and face with a large napkin or towel while consuming the bird.  The purpose of the towel is debated.  Some claim it is to retain the maximum aroma with the flavour as they consume the entire bird at once, others have stated "Tradition dictates that this is to shield – from God’s eyes – the shame of such a decadent and disgraceful act",<ref name="Telegraph" /> and others have suggested the towel simply hides the consumers spitting out bones.<ref name="ABC">{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-17/french-chefs-seek-to-put-banned-songbird-back-on-menu/5750956|publisher=ABC|title=French chefs seek to put banned songbird called ortolan back on menu|year=2014|access-date=16 March 2015}}</ref>  This use of the towel was begun by a priest, a friend of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.<ref>{{Cite news |work=The Stranger |title=The Urban Hunt: A Summer Spent Killing—and Eating—Seattle's Small Game |date=28 September 2006 |first=Brendan |last=Kiley |access-date=24 May 2021 |url=https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=81126 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109023207/http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=81126 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |publisher=Index Newspapers LLC}}</ref>

At one time, the island of [[Place:Cyprus|Cyprus]] formed a chief depot for the export of ortolans, which were pickled in spices and vinegar and packed in casks containing from 300 to 400 each. In the early 20th century, between 400 and 500 casks were annually exported from Cyprus.<ref>{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Ortolan}}</ref>

===Noted meals===
*The Three Emperors Dinner in 1867 included ortolans on toast among its 16 courses. 
*The favourite dish of medicine Nobel laureate and inventor of the [[Unsolved:Lobotomy|lobotomy]] procedure, [[Biography:António Egas Moniz|António Egas Moniz]], was ortolans as prepared at the restaurant Le Chapon Fin in [[Earth:Bordeaux|Bordeaux]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lobo Antunes |first=João |date=2011 |title=Egas Moniz: Uma Biografia |trans-title=Egas Moniz: A Biography |url= |language=pt |location=Lisbon |publisher=Gradiva |isbn=978-989-616-398-3 |edition=4th |page=19}}</ref>
*In 1975, food critic Craig Claiborne made a winning $300 bid in an auction for a dinner for two, courtesy of [[Company:American Express|American Express]], at any restaurant in the world that takes its credit card. Claiborne selected Chez Denis in Paris for a $4,000 meal<ref>{{Cite news |title=Just a Quiet Dinner for Two in Paris: 31 Dishes, Nine Wines, a $4,000 Check |date=14 November 1975 |first=Craig |last=Clairborne |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602083350/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/14/archives/just-a-quiet-dinner-for-two-in-paris-31-dishes-nine-wines-a-4000.html |archive-date=2 June 2020 |access-date=24 May 2021 |issue=124 |volume=214 |page=A1 |issn=1553-8095 |publication-place=New York City |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/14/archives/just-a-quiet-dinner-for-two-in-paris-31-dishes-nine-wines-a-4000.html |}}</ref> ($20,665 in 2022) that included a course of ortolans.
*In 1995, former French President François Mitterrand's last New Year's Eve meal included this specially prepared bird.<ref name="Telegraph"/>
*Bill Cosby describes eating ortolan in an Italian restaurant on his 1973 album ''Fat Albert''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2LntsPxUEU | title=Bill Cosby - Fernet Branca | website=[[Company:YouTube|YouTube]] }}</ref>

==Legal status==
Ortolan hunting was banned in France in 1999, but the law was poorly enforced and it is thought that up to 50,000 ortolans were illegally killed each year during the autumn migration: mostly birds from breeding grounds in Finland and the Baltic area. According to France's [[Organization:BirdLife International|League for the Protection of Birds]], France's ortolan population fell 30% between 1997 and 2007.<ref name="Telegraph2">{{Cite web|last1=Wallop|first1=Harry|title=Ortolans: could France's cruellest food be back on the menu?|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/11101187/Ortolans-could-Frances-cruellest-food-be-back-on-the-menu.html|website=The Telegraph|date=17 September 2014 |publisher=Telegraph Media Group. Ltd.|access-date=12 July 2015}}</ref> In 2007, the French government vowed to strictly enforce some existing rules about banning the practice, with the maximum fine set at €6,000 (£4,800 or $6,728). Killing and cooking ortolans is banned across the EU. In 2007, the pressure from France's League for Protection of Birds and from the [[Social:European Union|European Union]] resulted in the French government promising to enforce the EU directive protecting the ortolan. After several years of active citizen watch revealing little if any change in the field situation,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lpo.fr/actualites/operation-bruants-ortolans-tolerance-zero|title=Opération Bruants ortolans – 2013|website=lpo.fr|language=fr-FR|access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lpo.fr/actualites/operation-bruants-ortolans-tolerance-zero-2014|title=Opération Bruants ortolans – 2014|website=lpo.fr|language=fr-FR|access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lpo.fr/actualites/operation-bruant-ortolan-2015|title=Opération Bruant ortolan – 2015|website=lpo.fr|language=fr-FR|access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref> the local representative of the government repeated this statement in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lpo.fr/actualites/braconnage-des-ortolans-le-nouveau-prefet-des-landes-confirme-a-la-lpo-que-l-etat-de-droit-s-applique-aussi-dans-son-departement|title=Braconnage des ortolans le nouveau Préfet des Landes confirme à la LPO que l'Etat de droit s'applique aussi dans son département – Actualités – LPO|website=lpo.fr|language=fr-FR|access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref>

European Union member states prohibit:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/management/docs/Emberiza%20hortulana%20factsheet%20-%20SWIFI.pdf|title=Ortalan Bunting, Emberiza hortulana factsheet |work=EU Wildlife and Sustainable Farming project |year=2009 |publisher=European Commission}}</ref>
* deliberate killing or capture of these birds by any method; 
* deliberate destruction of, or damage to, their nests and eggs or removal of their nests; 
* taking their eggs in the wild and keeping these eggs; 
* deliberate disturbance of these birds particularly during the period of breeding and rearing, insofar as this would have a significant negative effect on the birds; 
* keeping birds, the hunting and capture of which is prohibited; 
* sale, transport for sale, keeping for sale and the offering for sale of live or dead birds and of any readily recognizable parts or derivatives of these birds.

As of 2018, the overall Ortolan bunting's population is listed by the IUCN as Least Concern (LC).

==See also==
* Ambelopoulia
* [[Philosophy:Animal rights|Animal rights]]
* Animal welfare
* [[Philosophy:Cruelty to animals|Cruelty to animals]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{Cite book | editor1-last=Cramp | editor1-first=Stanley | editor1-link=Stanley Cramp | editor2-last=Perrins | editor2-first=C.M. | year=1994 | chapter=''Emberiza hortulana'' Ortolan Bunting | title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume IX: Buntings and New World Warblers | place=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | pages=[https://archive.org/details/annalesdesscienc04cram/page/209 209–223] | isbn=978-0-19-854843-0 | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/annalesdesscienc04cram/page/209 }}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite journal | last1=Jiguet | first1=Frédéric | display-authors=0 | year=2019 | title=Unravelling migration connectivity reveals unsustainable hunting of the declining ortolan bunting | journal=Science Advances| volume=5 | issue=5 | pages= eaau2642| doi=10.1126/sciadv.aau2642 | pmid=31131318 | pmc=6530999 | bibcode=2019SciA....5.2642J | doi-access=free }}

==External links==
{{Commons|Emberiza_hortulana|Emberiza hortulana}}
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Ortolan|year=1905 |short=x}}
* [http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/wildbirds/threatened/e/emberiza_hortulana_en.htm Ortolan Bunting (''Emberiza hortulana'')] from the website of the European Commission
* [https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Emberiza-hortulana Xeno-canto: sound recordings of the ortolan bunting]
* [http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/343/poultry-slam-2007 343: Poultry Slam 2007], a November 2007 episode of ''This American Life'' with a segment about eating ortolan
* [http://www.oiseaux.net/birds/photos/ortolan.bunting.html Oiseaux] Photographs, text, map; {{In lang|fr}}
* [http://blascozumeta.com/wp-content/uploads/aragon-birds/passeriformes/447.ortolanbunting-ehortulana.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF; 1.6 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta and Gerd-Michael Heinze]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q206630}}

[[Category:Emberiza|ortolan bunting]]

{{Sourceattribution|Ortolan bunting}}