The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word ORTOLAN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
O
R
T
O
L
A
N
More clues leading to the result ORTOLAN
- Old sailors often held up bird
- Flier uncovered book of navigational routes
- Bunting festooned in door to landing
- Bunting taken from door to landing
- Bird‘s back in Sun a lot, routinely
- Bird identified from owl’s wings in gold and brown
- Bird in Sun a lot, rolling over
- Bird entering door to landing
- City enthralled by playwright, Bunting
- Algerian port has many hoisting bunting
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Bunting" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case bunting = ortolan.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ORTOLAN mean?
ORTOLAN noun- A small European migratory bunting (Emberiza hortulana), once eaten whole as a delicacy.
- Any of various similar birds, especially the bobolink, sora, or snow bunting.