Purple Martins, North America's largest swallow species, migrate up to 7,000 miles from the rainforests of Brazil and the Amazonian Basin to the eastern United States and Canada. Their long journey highlights their resilience and inspires admiration in bird enthusiasts and nature lovers.

 

Graceful in flight, musical in its pre-dawn singing, this big swallow is one of our most popular birds. Purple Martins (Progne subis) are the only bird species in eastern North America that is totally dependent on humans for nesting sites today. Over most of their range east of the Rocky Mountains, they are unable to nest naturally and rely on humans to provide nest boxes. Martin housing has a long history: some Native American tribes reportedly hung hollow gourds around their villages to attract these birds, emphasizing our role in their survival.

Thousands of human "martin landlords" maintain multi-compartment nest houses, which are vital for the birds' survival. These efforts are essential because the birds depend on human-provided housing to nest and raise their young.  Human involvement directly supports Purple Martins' continued presence and success.  Putting up martin houses used to be so common that John James Audubon used them to choose his lodgings for the night. In 1831, he remarked, “Almost every country tavern has a martin box on the upper part of its sign-board; and I have observed that the handsomer the box, the better does the inn generally prove to be.”

Purple Martins are highly social birds. After leaving the nesting colony and the care of the Purple Martin landlord, they form large, communal roosts where they sleep at night before and during migration. They also form communal roosts on their South American wintering grounds, often with other martin species.

 Fledgling martins become independent relatively quickly compared to other hole nesting birds. These young martins are fairly good flyers on their first day out of the nest, and their flying skills improve daily with guidance from their parents. After about a week or more out of the nest, many young martins begin to catch their own food and soon become independent.

Martins are aerial insectivores that consume insects in flight. Dragonflies are a favorite, as well as moths, butterflies, flies, beetles, wasps, and other flying insects.  Studies have shown Purple Martins eat around 262 billion insects each year. Many of these insects are both human and agricultural pest species. However, Purple Martins do not eat many mosquitoes. Martins feed high in the sky during the daytime, so they do not come into contact with mosquitoes very often.  The Purple Martin not only gets all its food in flight, but also all its water. It skims the surface of a pond, scooping up water with its lower bill.

Purple Martins have experienced a significant decline, losing one-third of their population over the last 50 years. Key factors like habitat loss, competition from invasive species, decreasing prey availability, and climate change contribute to this decline, emphasizing the need for active conservation efforts to protect these birds for future generations. European Starlings and House Sparrows often push Purple Martins out of local areas by taking over all of the nest sites, including houses that people put up specifically for the martins.

To track the Purple Martins' migration or learn how to support their conservation, visit purplemartin.org. The website offers resources on attracting and caring for the birds, including a free booklet available by emailing info@purplemartin.org or calling 814-833-7656.