The purple martin is a passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae. It is the largest swallow in North America. Despite its name, the purple martin is not truly purple. The dark blackish-blue feathers have an iridescent sheen caused by the diffraction of incident light giving them a bright blue to navy blue or deep purple appearance. In some light, they may even appear green in color.
Region
North and South America
Typical Environment
Breeds across much of the United States, southern Canada, and parts of northwestern Mexico, favoring open areas near water and human settlements. In the East it relies on multi-compartment martin houses and gourds; in the West it still uses natural cavities such as old woodpecker holes. After breeding, it migrates to northern South America, especially the Amazon Basin, where it assembles in large pre-migratory and winter roosts. Common around towns, fields, lakes, and coastal areas with abundant aerial insects.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The purple martin is North America’s largest swallow and a spectacular aerial insect hunter. East of the Rockies it now nests almost entirely in human-provided housing, a tradition that began with Indigenous peoples hanging dried gourds. Males are glossy blue-black with a purple sheen; females and juveniles are paler with gray underparts. They migrate long distances to wintering grounds in the Amazon Basin, forming enormous communal roosts.
Fledglings in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Eggs and small chicks in a nest box in Oklahoma, United States
Male chirping
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
strong flier with swift, agile maneuvers and intermittent glides
Social Behavior
Highly colonial, nesting in clusters in man-made houses or gourds in the East and in cavities in the West. Males often arrive earlier in spring to claim nest sites and may be loosely polygynous. After breeding, birds gather in massive communal roosts before and during migration. Both parents feed the young.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Song is a series of rich, liquid, gurgling chirps and chortles, often described as cheerful and bubbling. Dawn songs can be prolonged and include a variety of slurred notes; calls include throaty croaks and chitters used in colony communication.
Plumage
Adult males are glossy blue-black with strong iridescence; females and juveniles have dusky upperparts with pale gray-white underparts and a lighter throat. Feathers often appear purple, blue, or even greenish depending on light. Wings are long and pointed, and the tail is distinctly forked.
Diet
Feeds almost entirely on flying insects captured on the wing, including beetles, dragonflies, flies, wasps, true bugs, moths, and butterflies. It forages at varying heights, sometimes very high above the ground. Occasionally skims the surface to drink and may take prey near bodies of water where insect activity is high. Food is brought to nestlings in boluses.
Preferred Environment
Open airspace over fields, wetlands, lakeshores, and urban areas where thermals and insect swarms occur. Often forages near colonies but may range widely to exploit ephemeral insect hatches. Uses perches such as wires or rooftops between feeding bouts.
