Purple Martins

Purple Martins. . , Purple martins are social birds with a close relationship to people. Historically, purple martins nested in dead trees hollowed by woodpeckers. Native Americans began the practice of providing gourds as housing for purple martins. When the settlers arrived, they built martin houses on top of buildings. Then the introduction of two non-native, aggressive birds - house sparrows and European starlings combined with logging, eliminated natural cavities for purple martins. Today, east of the Rockies, purple martins are entirely dependent on man-made housing for nesting habitat., Identification , Adult males are overall iridescent dark purple taking two years to acquire this plumage. Females are gray-brown with small patches of iridescent purple on their head or back. Females appear very similar to juvenile males. However, young males will have some purple feathers on their chest, bellies, or undertail., Please Help Us! , In Ohio, purple martin populations have been in steep decline for decades. In our state, these birds nest exclusively in man-made housing, which is in short supply. If you have open habitat, especially near water, consider adding a purple martin house to your yard., Open Habitat , These aerial acrobats need open habitat with ample room to swoop and catch flying insects. A purple martin house can be placed near water or in an open area, but it must be near a human house and away from nearby large trees., Feeding , Purple martins are agile insect hunters and eat large amounts of flying winged insects. Dragonflies and damselflies are some of their favorites., Nesting Behaviors , Purple martins build flat nests with straw, twigs, dried pine needles, or even mud. Just before the female lays her eggs, the pair adds a layer of fresh green leaves. Purple martins typically lay between 4 and 6 pure white eggs., Migration , These purple martins will join other colonies creating large flocks before traveling over 4,000 miles to winter in South America., Before purchasing a purple martin house, research how to be a good landlord. European starlings can be kept out by oval-shaped holes as seen on these gourds, however weekly nest checks are important to remove house sparrow nests. For more information, visit purplemartin.org.