Photo: Pierre Dalous / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Ortolan Bunting
Emberiza hortulana
Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 17 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) is a member of the Emberizidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 19.9 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Emberizidae Buntings
- Genus Emberiza
- Species hortulana
Where it lives
Southern, eastern subarctic to subtropical open wooded hills: western, central Palearctic: Scandinavia patchily to Iberian Pen., east through Baltic region, western, south-central Russia, northern Kazakhstan, far northern Xinjiang (northwestern China) and western, central, southern Mongolia; in south through coastal Algeria, northern Mediterranean to Turkey, Caucasus and northern Iran
Quick facts
- Weight
- 19.9 g
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Emberizidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Ortolan Bunting is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.
Migration
The Ortolan Bunting is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) belongs to the Emberizidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL s, e subarctic to subtropical open wooded hills: w, c Palearctic: Scandinavia patchily to Iberian Pen., e through Baltic region, w, sc Russia, n Kazakhstan, far n Xinjiang (nw China) and w, c, s Mongolia; in s through coastal Algeria, n Mediterranean to Turkey, Caucasus and n Iran.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 19.9 g, with a wing length of about 8.6 cm and a tail of around 6.6 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 9.9 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Ortolan Bunting?
The Ortolan Bunting is a small bird that weighs around 19.9 g.
Where does the Ortolan Bunting live?
The Ortolan Bunting is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL s, e subarctic to subtropical open wooded hills: w, c Palearctic: Scandinavia patchily to Iberian Pen., e through Baltic region, w, sc Russia, n Kazakhstan, far n Xinjiang (nw China) and w, c, s Mongolia; in s through coastal Algeria, n Mediterranean to Turkey, Caucasus and n Iran, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Ortolan Bunting belong to?
The Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) belongs to the Emberizidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Ortolan Bunting eat?
The Ortolan Bunting is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Ortolan Bunting migrate?
The Ortolan Bunting is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Ortolan Bunting endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Ortolan Bunting make?
1 real field recording of the Ortolan Bunting — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Ortolan Bunting's range?
The Ortolan Bunting has a mapped global range of about 9.9 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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