Large, broad-chested swallow with a slightly hooked bill and long, tapered wings. Adult males are iridescent, dark blue-purple overall with brown-black wings and tail.
Large and chunky swallow. Females/immatures are duller, with variable amounts of gray on the head and chest and a dingy lower belly. Note gray collar around the neck.
Purple Martins commonly utilize artificial nest box colonies when raising their young.
Martins pair up with one male and one female per nest, but sometimes two females may settle into different compartments of one male’s territory, and both sexes frequently mate outside of their pair bond.
In flight, note long, tapered wings and forked tail. Adult males are dark purplish overall, but often appear black.
Adult males are iridescent, dark blue-purple overall, but often look black.
Females/immatures in flight look brownish below with a paler speckled belly.
Large and long-bodied with a small head and bill. Females/immatures are duller, with variable amounts of gray on the head and chest and a dingy lower belly with variable amounts of speckling.
A Purple Martin's dark body, long wings, and notched tail are all easily visible in flight.
In the East, nests with other Purple Martins in birdhouses and artificial gourds clustered together in groups.
Females and immatures show a mix of gray, blue, and white. Note the gray collar and forehead.
Often perches on wires and other manmade structures to rest, preen, or sunbathe.
Purple Martins in eastern North America nest almost exclusively in birdhouses and artificial gourds.
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Purple Martins are very large, broad-chested swallows. They have stout, slightly hooked bills, short, forked tails, and long, tapered wings.
Smaller than an American Robin; larger than a Tree Swallow.
between sparrow and robinFemale Purple Martins in the West show more extensive white on their underparts than do eastern birds.
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