Purple Martins

Purple Martins (Progne subis) are the largest member of the swallow family found in North America.  Martins are about 7 1/2 inches in size.  Purple Martins look black, with a purple sheen.  Many people try to attract these active birds to nest in their yards.  Martins nest in colonies and their aerobatics as they catch insects on the fly, makes them popular backyard birds.

Click here to see Purple Martin identification photos

Song:  Purple martins have a characteristic "dawn song" that they perform on early spring mornings.  The adult male martins sing this dawn song as they fly high over their nest colony sites in the morning.  The morning song is a loud, continuous series of chirps in a syncopated series of seven to nine notes repeated over and over.  Each male bird flies in a wide circle, singing his own version of the song.  Some people play recordings of the purple martin dawnsong to attract martins to new nest sites. 

Diet:  Purple Martins eat insects on the fly.  Martins will eat a variety of flying insects, including dragonflies, damselflies, flies, midges, mayflies, stinkbugs, leafhoppers, Japanese beetles, June bugs, moths, grasshoppers, cicadas, bees, and wasps.

Nesting:  Purple Martins breed in North America and migrate to Brazil for the winter.  They are cavity nesters, nesting in abandoned woodpecker nest cavities, or human-supplied gourds or martin houses.  The male and female work together to build their nest out of mud, grass, and twigs.  The female lays two to seven eggs, which are pure white in color.  The chicks hatch in about 15 days.  Both parents feed the baby birds for 26 to 32 days, until they fledge. 

Purple Martin Range and Nesting Area

Purple Martins migrate into the United States each summer to nest.  Yearling purple martins, which are usually the birds that nest in new nesting sites, begin arriving in nesting regions 4 to 10 weeks after first breeding pairs begin to arrive. 

Purple Martin Breeding Range and Nesting Arrival Time Map

View the Purple Martin Conservation Association's
Scout Arrival Map

Purple Martin Houses

Purple martins nest in colonies of several pairs of birds.  Housing for martins should be provided in the form of multiple apartment martin houses or groups of gourds.  Gourds for martin housing can be made of actual dried "birdhouse" gourds or manmade "gourds."

Martin houses and gourds should be painted white.  White housing attracts reflects the heat of the sun, keeping the nest cooler - and white houses seem to attract martins the best.  The minimum nest compartment floor area should be 6 inches x 6 inches.  Compartment height should be from 5 inches to 7 inches high.  Entrance holes should be about 1 inch above the floor.  A hole size of 2 1/8" is recommended by the Purple Martin Conservation Association. 

A Purple Martin House Starter Kit:

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

Aluminum Purple Martin High Rise with Pole and Ground Socket.  Here's everything you need to get started as a purple martin landlord.  This complete system comes with a high quality martin house, pole with a rope and pulley system for easy raising and lowering,  and a ground socket to install your pole.  This set even includes guard rails and door stoppers.  A great value for anyone interested in attracting and housing Purple Martins.  Offered by Duncraft.   Details and Ordering Info 
 

SEE MORE PURPLE MARTIN HOUSES!

Click Here

Purple martin housing needs to be mounted high above the ground (10 to 20 feet), so it is important to mount houses in a way that they can be easily raised and lowered for maintenance and inspection.  Hosing that can be raised and lowered with telescoping poles or with a pulley and winch are the most practical.

The poles on which martin houses are placed can be climbed by predators such as squirrels, raccoons, and snakes.  To protect your martins from predators, use a predator guard on the martin house pole.

Purple Martin House Placement

Purple Martins are very particular about their housing needs.  Martin houses must be placed in a location that provided adequate room for the birds to fly around and catch insects, but they should not be placed too far away from human houses.  The Purple Martin Conservation Association offers the following guidelines for placing a martin house on your property:

Purple Martin houses should be placed in the most open spot available, about 30 to 120 feet from human housing. 

There should be no trees taller than the martin house within 40 feet, preferably 60 feet. 

Purple Martin houses should be mounted at a height of 10 to 20 feet.

Nesting Season

You should raise and open your purple martin housing when the first martins (scouts) start to arrive in the spring.  If you don't get nesting pairs in early spring, don't give up.  Martins sometimes arrive and begin nesting as late as the end of June.  In July and August, this year's young will be scouting new nesting sites for next year.

View the Purple Martin Conservation Association's
Scout Arrival Map

Scouts are the first Purple Martins to arrive in an area in the Spring.  The excellent scout report map tracks Purple migration into the United States and shows where Martin arrivals have been recorded so far this year.  Check to see when you should have your Purple Martin bird house ready for new arrivals.

Purple Martin Information Sources

Purple Martin Pictures - A nice collection of martin photographs.

Purple Martin House Plans - purchase detailed plans on how to build the popular T-14 martin house.