The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Ortolan Bunting is available
HERE
.
Ortolan Buntings are a strongly migratory species that spends the
northern winters in tropical Africa, the Mediterranean East coast
and northern Arabia. During the breeding season
they can be found in many parts of Europe, in Asia Minor and in
central western Asia.
In Europe Ortolan Buntings are found only as breeding migrants.
They populate most of the northern Mediterranean, i.e. parts of
northern Iberia, southern France, northern Italy and the entire
region around the Alps and South-east Europe, including the
Balkans and all of Greece eastwards around the Black Sea and
to the Caucasus mountain range and the Caspian Sea.
In addition, while absent from the upper Danube valley, they are
found in basically all of eastern Europe up to about 55 degrees
geographic latitude and, in addition, basically all around the
(near-)coastal fringe of the Baltic Sea (including southern
Scandinavia, but not southern Sweden or Denmark).
During their migration they can be found anywhere in the rest
of continental Europe southward of the northern limit of their
breeding range.
In general, their distribution even within their known breeding
range tends to be very patchy.
During the breeding season
Ortolan Buntings have a preference for open country with scattered
trees, be it pastures with trees, agricultural areas with fringe
growth, isolated copses or very open woodland with grassy undergrowth.