Purple Martin

Content for this page researched and created by Thalia Daudier

Female Martin. Photo by J. Chavez, Public Domain
Female Martin. Photo by J. Chavez, Flicker

The purple martin (Progne subis) is a relatively large, broad-chested swallow. (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Their bills are slightly hooked and short. They have forked tails and long tapered wings. The adult males have dark-blue bodies and brownish-black wings and tails. The female purple martins are duller in color. Their heads and chests are gray and their bellies are white (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Purple martins are 7.5 inches long and weigh 1.9 ounces (Doughty and Fergus). Their have a wingspan of 15.4-16.1 inches (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology).

Where Do They Live/ Habitat/ Housing

            Purple martins are found in eastern North America (American Bird Conservancy). They live in towns, parks, along waterfronts, in fields, wetlands and in backyards. When they live in backyards they often live in human made houses. Most housing consists of plastic or hollowed-out natural gourds or conventional houses. The housing should be painted white. The martins prefer this color because it makes the entrance hole appear darker and more obvious.

Martin Housing. Photo by Carol M, Public Domain
Martin Housing. Photo by Carol M., Public Domain

Also white reflects the heat and keeps the nest cool for the baby martins. When building the houses it is important that rooms are large enough to prevent loss of nestlings during hot weather (The American Midland Naturalist). Research has shown that martin housing placed more than 100 feet from human housing and human areas of high activity has a lower chance of being occupied (The Purple Martin and its Management in Texas).

Nesting

         The purple martin nest is a cup made out of leaves, grass, twigs, debris and mud (Guide to North American Birds). Before they build their nest, the purple martin mating pair visit a lot of different cavities before choosing where to start building. Martins begin building their nest four-six weeks after they arrive at their summer breeding site (Purple Martin Conservation Association). The nest is built by both the male and female purple martin. The nesting process takes 3-4 weeks. In the nest, females lay 4-5 white eggs which then incubate for 15-18 days. Female will incubate the eggs by placing the bare skin of her belly in contact with the egg. This bare skin area is called a brood patch (Doughty and Fergus). Both the male and female martins feed the nestlings. The nestlings leave the nest at 28-29 days although some young return to the nest at night (Bird Web). Male martins return to their breeding areas in early spring. Male purple martins might have more than one mate and typically locate the respective mates in different  parts of his breeding range (Guide to North American Birds).

Migration

            Martins migrate over several paths between their summer ranges in North America and their winter ranges in Brazil. They may go up through Central America and Mexico to the U.S., hop across the Caribbean, or follow Central America up partway where they will cross the Gulf of Mexico over to Louisiana and Florida (Purple Marin Conversation Association). In their spring migration by mid- January they are found in Texas, Florida and the Gulf Coast. In March, they are found in Virginia and Kansas. In April, they are found in southern Canada. In May, they are found in Montana and Arizona. In the fall, the flocks travele from late July to September with stragglers moving along until early October. In the winter. The purple martins overwinter in the South American lowlands east of the Andes and south to northern Argentina and southern Brazil. In 2007 PMCA (Pennsylvania Manufacturing Confectioners’ Association), with York University, deployed the first geolocation devices on purple martins. Prior to this study the migration of patterns of purple martins had been unknown.

Behavior

          Purple martins fly with quick flaps and glides. When it’s time for them to hunt for insects, they form big circles around their prey (All about Birds). Martins are rarely on the

Martin Carrying Nesting Material. Photo by J. Sutton, Flickr
Martin Carrying Nesting Material. Photo by J. Sutton, Flickr

ground unless they are gathering materials for their nests. The male’s role is to defend small nesting territories from other males. Female martins also protect mating and nesting territories especially from other females (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Many of the behaviors by adult martins and young martins during the post-fledging period are thought to contribute to the high survival rate of juvenile purple martins during the first 4-5 days after fledging.

Diet

Purple martins are day feeders. When they do decide to feed they will go in pairs, rather than in groups. Purple martins eat insects, wasps, winged ants, some bees, flies, beetles, moths, and butterflies. Dragonflies are the most important part of diet (Guide to North American Birds). True bugs are very important foods in June (IBIS International Journal of Avian Science). When purple martins get ready to attack their prey, they turn suddenly sideways or upward, speed up, and then flare their tails as they trap the insect. That is why their tails are forked. It helps them capture their prey. Purple martins digest their food using little bits of gravel that they have incorporated into their upper digestive organs. The gravel helps the digestive process. It also helps to break down the insects exoskeletons.

Sound

            Purple martins make various sounds and calls. Male purple martins make a hee-hee call while fighting over territories. The also make zwrack and zweet calls during stressful interaction with other species. When females call for their fledglings, they make a choo sound. Purple martins also have different singing chirps. Male martins croak songs that can be 4 seconds long. They do this when they want to attract females that are nearby. Males sing the loudest (“the dawn song”) early in the morning. They sing before daylight which attracts other martins to the colonial nest site. Male purple martins also make click sounds during courtship by snapping their bills together. Female purple martins make a chortle song (All about Birds).

Threats

            Pesticides, mainly the newer neonicotinoid insecticides, are threats to purple martins. Other aerial insectivores, both on their breeding grounds and their wintering grounds in South America also can be threats to this species. Habitat alterations (such as removing dead trees in many forest) limits natural cavities which are used as nesting sites by purple martins. Sudden spring cold snaps lasting more than three or four days can kill flying insects and cause the purple martins to starve to death (American Bird Conservancy).

 

General References:

Bird Web: Purple Martin. Seattle Audubon Society. 2002. Web. September 17, 2016.

Doughty, Robin and Rob Fergus. The Purple Martin. Vol. 52. Austin: University of Texas, 2002.

Print. September 16, 2016.

Kaufman, Kenn. Guide to North American Birds. Audubon. 2016. Web. September 15, 2016.

Purple Martin. All about Birds. 2015. Web. September 16, 2016.

Purple Martin. American Bird Conservancy. 2016. Web. September 15, 2016.

Purple Martin. National Geographic. 2015. Web. September 17, 2016.

Purple Martin: Nesting. Purple Martin Conservation Association. 2016. Web. September 17,

Ray, James D. The Purple Martin and its Management in Texas. 4th ed. Amarillo: Texas Chapter

of the Wildlife Society, 2012. Online. September 17, 2016.

Stokes, Donald and Justin Brown. Stokes Purple Martin Book. Online. 1997. September 15,

2016.

Wiggins, David A. Purple Martin (Progne subis): A Technical Conservation Assessment

[Online]. Oklahoma City: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Species

Conservation Project, 2005. September 15, 2016.

Scientific References:

Allen, Robert W. and Margaret M. Nice. “A Study of the Breeding Biology of the Purple

Martin.” The American Midland Naturalist: 47 (3). Pg. 1-60. (1952). Jstor. ITHAKA. Web. September 16, 2016.

Brown, Charles R. “Sleeping Behavior of Purple Martins” The Condor: 82 (2). Pg. 170-175.

(1980). Jstor. ITHAKA. Web. September 16, 2016.

Brown, Charles R. “Territoriality in the Purple Martin” The Wilson Bulletin: 91 (4). Pg. 583-591.

            (1979). Jstor. ITHAKA. Web. September 16, 2016

Brown, Charles R. “Vocalization of the Purple Martin.” The Condor: 86 (4). Pg. 433-442.

(1984). Jstor. ITHAKA. Web. September 16, 2016.

Davidar, Priya and Eugene S. Morton. “Prevalence of a Blood Parasite and Its Effect on

Survivorship in the Purple Martin.” The Auk: Living with Parasites: 110 (1). Pg. 1-8.

(1993). Jstor. ITHAKA. Web. September 16, 2016.

Johnston, Richard F. and John William Hardy. “Behavior of the Purple

Martin” The Wilson Bulletin: 74 (3). (1962). Jstor. ITHAKA. Web.

September 17, 2016.

Johnston, Richard F. “Seasonal Variation in the Food of the Purple Martin Progne Subis in

Kansas” IBIS International Journal of Avian Science: 109 (1). Pg. 8-13. (1967).

September 15, 2016.

Purple Martin Conservation Association. Research. 2016.

Rohwer, Sievert and David M. Niles. “An Historical Analysis of Spring Arrival Times in Purple

Martins: A Test of Two Hypothesis” Bird-Banding: 48 (2). Pg. 162-167. (1977). Jstor.

ITHAKA. Web. September 16, 2016.

Stutchbury, Bridget J. M. “The Purple Martin.” The Condor: 105 (2). Pg. 393. (2003). Web. 16

September 2016.

Image Gallery

Chavez, Jamie. Purple Martine (Progne subis). N/A, Santa Barbara. Flickr. 13, May 2010. (Use

via Creative Commons)

Highsmith, Carol M. Purple Martin bird gourd houses. 2010. Library of Congress, Hamilton.

Wikimedia Commons. 2016. (Use via Creative Commons)

<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Purple_Martin_bird_gourd_houses,_Hamilton,_Alabama_LCCN2010640141.tif>

Sutton, John. Purple Martin Carrying Nesting Material. N/A, Palm Beach Co. Flickr. 2015. (Use via Creative Commons)