The song is the Ortolan Bunting's hallmark and is often described as melancholy. It consists of a few clear, slightly descending notes, usually rendered as “tju-tju-tju-dii-dii”, where the opening notes are on the same pitch and the closing ones fall in pitch. The song is often delivered from an exposed perch over open ground and has an evocative, wistful tone that carries well across the landscape.