Ortolan bunting

Description

The ortolan (Emberiza hortulana) or 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 German Embritz,a bunting.The specific hortulana is from the Italian name,ortolana,for this bird.The English Ortolan is derived from Middle French hortolan,"gardener". The ortolan is served in French cuisine,typically cooked and eaten whole.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.