Page 399 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

BUNTINGS
Order Passeriformes Family Emberizidae Species Emberiza hortulana
Ortolan Bunting pale eye-ring

pink bill
brighter buff
yellow eye-ring than female

green head
olive- MALE
buff (SUMMER)
rump yellow
moustache
JUVENILE
pale green sharp,
chest triangular bill
IN FLIGHT
pale eye-ring
greyer than
orange juvenile
underside
black tail with
white sides
MALE
(SUMMER) FEMALE

ale Ortolans sing from bushes or trees on warm open slopes
Mor in areas of upland pasture with hedges, walls, and copses. FLIGHT: flitting, undulating, with bursts of
Their persistence makes up for a lack of real musical quality. Ortolan relatively weak wingbeats; straighter over long
Buntings are also scarce but regular migrants in many coastal areas. distance with longer, shallow undulations.
They are usually quite shy and quick to fly off but tend
to feed in open, grassy places where they can be
watched from a distance.They are slim, pale buntings
with sharp pink bills and obvious pale eye-rings.
VOICE Call thick, metallic, dl-ip and chu; song fluty,
simple, ringing phrase, often repeated several times then
changed to higher pitch, sia sia sia si sia sru sru sru sru.
NESTING Simple, hair-lined nest of grass and straw, on
or near ground; 4–6 eggs; 2 or 3 broods;April–July.
FEEDING Eats insects in summer, and seeds from STREAKY FEMALE
ground at other times, often from short grass clearings The general colour and pattern of the male are evident but subdued and
in dunes or fields. faintly streaked on the female.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds across most of Europe
YELLOWHAMMER 32; bolder head except for UK, Iceland, and
see p.398 pattern N Scandinavia, in variety of places
rusty from warm, bushy, stony slopes to
rump pale semi-alpine pasture. Migrates to
chin more
rufous Africa in winter; rare on NW Euro-
pean coasts in spring and autumn.
REED BUNTING 2
similar to 32; Seen in the UK
see p.395 JF M A M J J AS ON D
Length 15–16cm (6–6 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 22–26cm (9–10in) Weight 21–27g ( 3 ⁄4 – 15 ⁄16oz)
Social Small flocks Lifespan 2–3 years Status Vulnerable†
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