Grays Harbor Birds: Purple Martin (Progne subis)

By Dianna Moore

Grays Harbor Audubon Society

My father, Jack Davis, decided to take on the disappearing Purple Martin community around the downtown area marina in Olympia. He consulted with noted Seattle-area expert, Kevin Li, and then built a bunch of swallow nestboxes made of cedar left over from his many projects. He received approval from the city and port to install the nest boxes on pilings around Percival Landing Park, and the birds took over the nestboxes. Job well done, Dad.

This photo was taken by Mike Hamilton of an adult male leaving a plastic Purple Martin house.

General Description: The Purple Martin is not only the largest swallow in North America, it is also one of the largest swallows in the world. This one is an adult male, with solid purple-black coloring, a short slightly forked tail and long, tapered wings. Females are not as colorful and have a grayish nape and forehead with a brownish-gray breast and light gray belly. Juvenile birds are similar to the female but with streaks underneath. Both sexes are approximately 7.5 to 7.9 inches in length with a wing span of 15.3 to 16.1 inches, and weigh approximately 1.6 to 2.1 ounces.

Habitat: The main habitat for nesting and foraging Purple Martins is open land near water, in fields, wetlands and clearings.

Behavior: Purple Matins forage almost entirely on the wing. They will forage on the ground in bad weather, but most of their time is spent flying low capturing their favorite prey…flying insects.

Diet: These birds eat flying insects almost exclusively. One popular figure is up to 2,000 mosquitos a day, but that is unsubstantiated. You can see why they are popular though.

Nesting: Purple Martins are monogamous for the season but not season to season. Historically, they are cavity nesters but now mostly use man-made nestboxes and plastic cubbies for individual nests over water. (The west coast birds don’t use the apartment-styled houses so popular on the east coast.). Both birds build the nest cup of leaves, grass, and twigs, with mud at the base of the entrance hole. The female incubates four to five eggs for 15 to 18 days and both birds feed the young. The young leave the nest at 28 to 29 days but may return to the nest at night. The parents continue to feed their young for another five to seven more days.

Migration: These birds are long-distance migrants, gathering in large pre-migration flocks before heading south in September to overwinter in the Amazon Basin. They return to Washington in April or May.

Conservation Status: Purple Martins have a long and close relationship with humans, with many Native American groups hanging gourds for nestboxes around villages. But they have experienced a dramatic drop of 50% to 60% in the last 50 to 60 years and are only now slowly increasing in numbers. The problem is competition from sparrows and starlings for cavity-nesting spots. Add to that the use of insecticides that kill the flying insects, especially on their winter range.

When and Where to Find on Grays Harbor: It may be possible to find a few Purple Martins around the Harbor, such as some private properties around the edges. There was a recent report of one at the Hoquiam Sewage Lagoon, on and off reports from the Westport Marina area, and there used to be a nest in an old tire hanging on a piling at the Tokeland Marina but I don’t think that is active any longer. They are still considered rare to this area. I am hoping that will change; it takes time to re-establish a colony.