Ortolan bunting  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 , a bunting. The specific "hortulana" is from the Italian name for this bird, . The English "ortolan" is derived from Middle French , "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. The ortolan bunting was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his "Systema Naturae" and retains its original binomial name of "Emberiza hortulana". The species is monotypic. A molecular phylogenetic study of the buntings published in 2008 found that the ortolan bunting is most closely related to Cretzschmar's bunting ("Emberiza caesia"). The ortolan bunting is in length and has a wing-span of . 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. 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. 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.