Sentence:  ...the last flavor Mitterand wished to savor belonged to the flesh of the endangered <WSD>"ortolan</WSD>", a songbird the size of a human toe that is a crime to buy or hunt, and is certainly illegal to eat. Mitterand devoured it in the traditional manner, first covering his head with an embroidered cloth, then inserting the entire bird into his mouth....Only its head should dangle out from between your lips. Bite off the head and discard. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A small European migratory bunting, (ver=161102), once eaten whole as a delicacy.