Purple Martins Research Paper

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Purple Martins

All About These Birds and How to Attract Them

During the summer, Purple Martins are a common sight in much of North America, eating those pesky mosquitos and insects while flying.
Purple Martins (are the largest member of the swallow family and return each year to the same location at approximately at the same time to nest and raise their young. Researchers have found that all of the martins that survive migration and the winter, return to the same location where they spent the spring. Up to 10 percent of the young birds will also return to the place where they hatched and were raised.

• Martin Info
• Grow a Martin Gourd House
• Martin Photos
• Pick Out a Martin House

In the fall after nesting season is done, Purple Martins begin their way southward for the winter. Many of these martin fly hundreds of miles to congregrate at a staging point. One such place is near New Orleans, Louisiana, a bridge that spans Lake Pontchartrain. Tens of thousands of martins will congregate at this place, then as a huge flock, they will fly down to South America, from Venezuela to Brazil, for the winter.
The male martins have forked tails and are solid colored with feathers a deep iridescent purple when the sunlight hits them. The female martins are similar but have gray breasts. They are similar to Tree
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They significantly reduce number of insects that bite or bother us, increase agricultural yields, and greatly reduce the amounts of harmful pesticides needed for insect control. An interesting fact is that martins will also drink on the run; in other words, they will swoop down and skim water off to drink. When the flying insect population is down, martins will also forage on the ground for food. Nesting females will often eat clean empty eggshells since they have a nutritional need for more calcium (to make shells for their own