Ortolan bunting

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ortolan-bunting

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Emberiza hortulana
2. What is the geographic range?Breeds across Europe and Western Asia; winters in tropical Africa
3. Why is the Ortolan bunting special in French food?In France, the Ortolan bunting has been a fancy dish for a long time. People fatten it, drown it in Armagnac, roast it, and eat it whole, sometimes covering their heads with a napkin to keep the smell.
4. How do people catch and cook the Ortolan bunting?Hunters capture the birds, often illegally, to meet the demand for the dish. The birds are fattened, then soaked in Armagnac, roasted, and served whole.

Passerine: A bird belonging to the order Passeriformes, characterized by a perching foot with three toes forward and one backward.
Gastronomy: The practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food.
Conservation Biology: The scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction.
Granivorous: Feeding on seeds.