Search results
The purple martin (Progne subis) 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.
May 20, 2022 · The purple martin is the largest swallow in North America, and arguably the most popular. Males have dark purpleish black feathers all over their bodies. The females are paler in color, with dark heads and tails, and gray or white feathers on their throats and bellies.
Graceful in flight, musical in its pre-dawn singing, this big swallow is one of our most popular birds. Almost all Purple Martins in the east now nest in birdhouses put up especially for them.
martin, any of several swallows belonging to the family Hirundinidae (order Passeriformes). In America the name refers to the purple martin (Progne subis) and its four tropical relatives—at 20 cm (8 inches) long, the largest American swallows.
Find This Bird. In eastern North America during the summer, look for Purple Martins around martin houses, the miniature condominiums that many people put up in yards. The birds are more challenging to find in the West, where they nest in woodpecker holes in dead snags.
Hirundinidae. Information, images and range maps on over 1,000 birds of North America, including sub-species, vagrants, introduced birds and possibilities. There are at least six types of species of martins seen in North America. The Purple Martin is the only native nesting martin among them.
In the East, dark, glossy-blue males and brown females will peer from the entrances and chirp from the rooftops all summer. In the West, martins mainly still nest the old-fashioned way—in woodpecker holes. Our largest swallows, Purple Martins perform aerial acrobatics to snap up flying insects.
