The ortolan (Emberiza hortulana), also called ortolan bunting, is a bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a passerine family now separated by most modern scholars from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name Emberiza is from Old High German Embritz, a bunting. The specific hortulana is from the Italian name for this bird, ortolana. The English ortolan is derived from Middle French hortolan, "gardener".

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.

Description
The ortolan bunting is 16–17 cm in length and has a wing-span of 23–29 cm . In appearance and habits it much resembles its relative the 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 British Isles.

It was recently 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.

Behaviour
Ortolan nests are placed on or near the ground.

The maximum age recorded is 6 years and 10 months for a bird found dead in Switzerland.

Seeds are the natural diet, but beetles and other insects are taken when feeding their young.

food
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 cage by gorging themselves on grain, usually millet seed, until they double their bulk. Reputedly, Roman Emperors stabbed out ortolans’ eyes in order to make the birds think it was night, making them eat even more. The birds are then thrown into a container of Armagnac, which both drowns and marinates the birds.

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", and others have suggested the towel hides the consumers spitting out bones. This use of the towel was begun by a priest, a friend of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
Afrikaans: Ortolanstreepkoppie
Arabic: بلبل الشعير, بلبل الشعير زرزور جبل, درسة الشعير, زرزور جبل
Asturian: Escribana Castellán, Escribana Castiana
Azerbaijani: Bağ vələmirquşu
Belarusian: Cадовая стрынатка, Садовая стрынатка, Стрынатка садовая
Bulgarian: Градинска овесарка
Catalan: Hortolà, hortolà comú, Hortulà, Sit aureolat
Catalan (Balears): Hortolà
Valencian: Sit aureolat
Montenegrin: vrtna strnadica
Czech: Strnad zahradní
Welsh: Bras y Gerddi, Bras y gerdi, Bras y gerrdi, Bras yr ŷd penwyrdd
Danish: Hortulan
German: Gartenammer, Ortolan
Greek: Βλάχος, Βλαχοτσίχλονο, Τσακροπιτίλλα
Greek (Cypriot): Τσακροπιτίλλα
English: Ortolan, Ortolan Bunting
English (IOC): Ortolan Bunting
English (Kenya): Ortolan Bunting
Esperanto: hortulano
Spanish: Escribano cinéreo, Escribano Hortelano, Escribano montesino
Spanish (Spain): Escribano Hortelano
Spanish (HBW): Escribano hortelano
Estonian: Poldtsiitsitaja, Põldtsiitsitaja
Basque: Hortolà , Miarritza
Persian: زردپره سرزیتونی , زردپره سرزیتونی (گلوزرد)
Finnish: Peltosirkku
Faroese: Øsgulur riðispurvur
French: Bruant ortolan
Irish: Gealóg Gharraí
Galician: Escribenta hortelá, Hortolà
Hebrew: גבתון גנים, גיבתון גנים
Croatian: Vrtna strnadica
Hungarian: Kerti sármány
Armenian: [Aygu Drakhtapan ], Այգու Դրախտապան
Icelandic: Dultittlingur
Italian: Ortolano
Japanese: zu-ao hō-jiro, Zu-ao hoo-jiro, zuaohoojiro, Zuao-houjiro
Japanese: ズアオホオジロ
Japanese (Kanji): 頭青頬白
Georgian: ბაღის გრატა
Kazakh: Бақ сұлыкеші
Kazakh (Transliteration): baq sulıkeşі
Korean: 오토란 / 회색머리멧새
Scientific: Emberiza hortulana, Glycispina hortulana
Luxembourgish: Ortolan
Lithuanian: Sodine starta, Sodinė starta
Latvian: Dārza stērste
Macedonian: Градинарска овесарка, Градинарска стрнарка
Mongolian: Алаг хөмрөг




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