Peltosirkku faces imminent extinction without urgent action

Nearly 99 percent of Finland’s ortolan bunting population has vanished in recent decades, according to researchers monitoring the species in South Ostrobothnia. The decline has reduced the once-common farmland bird to an estimated 600–800 breeding pairs nationwide, down from tens of thousands in the 1960s.

Ortolan buntings were still abundant across agricultural regions half a century ago. Since then, habitat loss has driven the species to the brink of local extinction. The most critical remaining stronghold in Finland lies along the Alajoki River floodplain, shared by the towns of Kauhava and Lapua, where only about 20 pairs were recorded this spring.

“The disappearance of small fields, boundary hedges, and ditch-side vegetation has stripped away the shelter and food sources these birds need,” said Erkki Korpimäki, emeritus professor at the University of Turku, who has studied predators and small mammals in the Alajoki area for five decades.

Korpimäki noted that the ortolan bunting is not alone: other ground-nesting species such as the Eurasian skylark, grey partridge, and the provincial bird of South Ostrobothnia, the Eurasian curlew, have also seen dramatic population drops in the region.

In May, South and Ostrobothnia became the first Finnish regions to finalize a Biodiversity Programme (LUMO) under the new Nature Conservation Act. The programme identifies 251 threatened species and 161 threatened habitat types in the two provinces and offers voluntary guidance to land users, including farmers.

As part of the initiative, local growers along the Alajoki have received practical advice on improving ortolan bunting habitat, such as maintaining unsprayed field margins and tolerating patches of weeds. Risto Mäkipernaa, a farmer in the area who practices organic cultivation, said more education is needed to show how small changes can support biodiversity without economic loss.

“We talk a lot about efficient farming, but too little about doing it in ways that protect nature,” Mäkipernaa said, pointing to thistles along a ditch as a food source for insects and birds.

Korpimäki stressed that reversing the decline is still possible but requires swift, targeted measures. He also urged financial incentives for landowners managing key habitats for critically endangered species like the ortolan bunting. Finland has committed under international agreements to halt biodiversity loss by 2030, he noted.