The importance of farmland for Ortolan Buntings nesting on raised peat bogs

The majority of the Norwegian population of the endangered Ortolan Bunting, Emberiza hortulana, breeds on raised peat bogs. I studied whether their br eeding site selection was affected by the availability of another habitat ( farmland) close to bogs. At the landscape level, Ortolan Buntings always ch ose peat bogs that had farmland less than or equal to 50 m away. At the ind ividual peat bog level, Ortolan Buntings had territories in those parts of the bog that were closest to farmland, and territories were usually less th an or equal to 100 m from farmland. These results indicate that bog-breedin g Ortolan Buntings require farmland in close proximity to their territories . This conclusion was further supported by observations at the behavioral l evel. Ortolan Buntings were frequently seen flying between territories on t he peat bogs and adjacent farmland (oat fields), often returning with food in the bill. I also analysed the distribution of Ortolan Buntings in relati on to peat bog size, availability of different bog microhabitats, and human use of peat bogs (peat extraction), but the effect of distance to farmland remained significant also in multiple analyses. Ortolan Buntings apparentl y do not have the classical all-purpose territory typical of most passerine birds, but have more or less separated nesting and feeding areas. I discus s possible reasons for this pattern and also the conservation implications of the habitat selection of the Ortolan Bunting.