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Purple Martin Houses
Purple Martin House |
 
The Purple Martin is
the largest of the North American
swallows. Purple Martins are a migratory
species that breeds along the West Coast
and in the eastern and central portions
of the United States,
and in parts of Canada
and Mexico.
While martin populations have grown in
the East, their numbers have declined in
the middle of the United States. This
species nests in open and semiopen areas,
including savannas, cultivated lands,
fields, parks, pastures, near lakes and
marshes and in towns and suburbs. Purple
Martins can reach fairly high densities
when martin houses are present.
One of the major reasons people fail to
attract Purple Martins is that they place
the martin housing incorrectly. Martins
have very specific space requirements.
Their housing should be in the center of
the largest open spot available, about
30-120 feet from human housing. Place the
housing where you can see it so you can
enjoy watching and hearing the martins.
There should be no trees within 40 feet,
preferably 60 feet. In the southern half
of their breeding range, martins are less
fussy about house placement, so sometimes
housing can be within 25 feet of trees
and still attract martins. But the
farther housing is placed from trees, the
better. Housing height should be about
10-15 feet. Don’t attach wires to
the house or pole, especially if they
lead to trees, buildings, or the ground.
Predators can use the wires to access the
housing.
The breeding season begins in late March
in the southern part of the range, but
not until late May or early June in the
northern parts. (In Florida,
however, nest building can begin as early
as February.) As with many native
cavity-nesting species, Purple Martins
compete with House Sparrows
and European Starlings
for nest sites. In many regions, such as
the eastern United States, martins are
extremely dependent on human-provided
martin houses. In the West, however,
Purple Martins nest more frequently in
natural sites, such as abandoned
woodpecker holes, cliff crevices, and in
the cavities of oak, sycamore, ponderosa pine
and spruce trees. |
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