The Purple Martin: Backyard Birding at Its Best
The Purple Martin also known as Blackish swallow, Golondrina Azulnegra, Golondrina grandenegruzca, Golondrina azul americana, Golondrina Purpúrea, Hirondellenoire, Andorinha-Azul, Andorinha-Púrpura.
Wherever you live and whatever you call one, you cannot deny the precious tie that binds this bird to the Americas. This wild bird that flies hundreds of thousands of miles to nest on Northern American soil depends upon us, almost completely, to breed. If Purple Martin landlords (nest cavity providers) did not exist, these birds could possibly go by way of the Dodo or passenger pigeon.
What other bird captures the beauty of nature like the Purple Martin? What other animal-wild or tame, traverses oceans and continents to return to the same exact place-year after year? We have been honored with a sacred trust over hundreds-perhaps thousands of years, to provide homes for these birds. It is a duty that some have been called for; to maintain their homes and provide for their safety.
No one truly knows when Purple Martins began their long standing relationship with humans. European settlers to the New World documented the native Americans providing housing for these swallows. It is also only speculation why these birds were favored. Some say as natural insect control, or maybe as a early warning system for predators. One thing is known, that without humans providing housing, Purple Martins would not exist in their current splendor. Early writings describe Native American’s hanging dried and hollowed gourds from poles, as nest sites for these wonderful birds. Europeans familiar with many of their own swallows, eagerly placed housing up for them. And thus the tradition of providing for these birds has carried on to today.
Purple Martins are secondary cavity nesting birds. That is they will only nest in a preexisting cavity excavated by another bird. Due to human involvement, East of the Rockies, Purple Martins have under gone a behavioral shift. This means that, for the most part, they no longer recognize natural cavities as potential nest sites. Due to several factors they have become dependant on humans to fulfill their need for nest sites. Factors such as extensive deforestation and urbanization have left the Purple Martin with little options.
Western Purple Martins, which are actually larger subspecies, still use natural nest cavities. Huge forest fires and urban sprawl continue to take their toll on the dead tree “snags” that these martins mostly use, and their already small populations are suffering. There is a growing movement trying to recreate the same behavioral shift in the western martins that occurred hundreds or maybe even thousands of years ago for the eastern martins. The survival of these birds may very well fall into the hands of these dedicated individuals.
Placing a Purple Martin house is not as benign or common place as other types of nest boxes such as a Bluebird box, for example. Purple Martin houses were a common place sight in the 1940′s due to a common misconception that Purple Martins eat mosquitoes. As that population ages and those people either take down Martin housing, move or pass away, less and less housing is put up to replace the housing that is taken down. Unfortunately, Purple Martin numbers reflect this trend. Fortunately, North Americas largest swallow can rebound with our help.
Many people try for years to attract their first pair of Martins, to become Purple Martin Landlords. While some seem ‘blessed’ with attracting these aerial artists, others seem cursed with failure. What can YOU do to increase your chances of obtaining the privilege of being host to these little wonders? How can you provide a Purple Martin friendly habitat in your backyard? What common mistakes can you avoid to provide for the safety and well being of these birds? How can you become a Purple Martin Landlord?
Step one is to put up housing. There are 5 basic types of housing.
1.
Aluminum
2-
Foam.
3-
Gourds.
4-
Plastic.
5-
Wood.
ALUMINUM
PROS:
Look nice! MANY different styles to choose from. Traditional Martin house look to newer stylish models now on market. Last forever. Fairly light weight.
CONS:
Fairly expensive. Least expensive is around $80 for 8 small compartments (6×6) Some houses range -$200-$500 and even more. Harder to modify as you may have to cut metal to enlarge rooms.(depending on manufacturer) Poor insulation capabilities, even though more expensive models usually have insulated roofs. The compartments can be enlarged, by cutting metal to enlarge the compartments to 6×12, but that cuts down the amount of rooms on the house by half. It is strongly encouraged to enlarge the compartments to both protect the Martins from predators and to increase clutch size.
FOAM
PROS:
Excellent insulation…as it’s made out of…you guessed it, INSULATION material. Very light weight. Fairly easy to modify as insulation material can be cut with box cutter or hand saw.
Makes a great do it your self project.
CONS:
No pre-manufactured foam housing available. Quite fragile unless covered with some other material-which will increase the weight. Not considered the most attractive house.
GOURDS
PROS:
Birds seem to love them. Can be quite roomy inside. Less domination of multiple compartments by 1 male. Countless variations and combinations. Natural gourds are budget friendly. Natural gourds are very light weight. Environmentally friendly.
CONS:
Natural gourds need seasonal repainting to increase life of gourd. Natural gourds can crack and break. Natural gourds are labor intensive to prepare for use. Not as “compact” as a traditional house. There are natural gourds and plastic artificial gourds. It is recommended that all gourds have access ports for easy cleaning and nest checks. I use both plastic and natural gourds. Statistics show that number of eggs laid, number of eggs hatched and number of surviving young is greater in gourds vs “houses”.
PLASTIC
PROS:
The least expensive way to start trying to attract Purple Martins. The lightest -which may or may not be a consideration. Easy to modify rooms-no power tools needed.
CONS:
May look the least expensive-which you may or may not care about. UV rays from the sun can degrade the plastic causing light to enter the compartment over time. This leads to excessively high temps in the nest. Most plastic housing compartments are 6×6 which is technically sufficient for a Martin but not ideal. Again, the compartments are easily enlarged to 6×12, but that cuts the amount of rooms on the house by half. You’ll find peoples opinions on plastic housing is quite heated.
WOOD
PROS:
Excellent natural insulation. Can be a fun do it yourself project-for the handy-person. Environmentally friendly and look nice too.
CONS:
Heavy as sin. Needs occasional repainting to protect wood. Also need tools if modifications are needed.
If you still don’t know what type of housing you want to offer, look at your budget and what appeals to you-esthetically.
For more info on Purple Martins visit
PurpleMartins-R-Us.com .
We offer good solid information to those beginning their journey into the conservation and enjoyment of Purple Martins through active participation.
Article © purplemartinart.com 2008
About the Author
PurpleMartins-R-Us was created to be an all inclusive online destination for those intrested in Purple Martins. Successful Purple Martin Landlords in South Florida, PurpleMartins-R-Us.com is dedicated to increasing awareness of Purple Martins.
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