Copyright 1999-2008, The Purple Martin Conservation Association and James R. Hill, III. All rights reserved including photographs, text, and design thereof. Downloading and/or Reproduction of these images or text online or in print without direct permission of The Purple Martin Conservation Association and James R. Hill, III is strictly prohibited. All images are in .jpg form and clicking on the thumbnails below will take you to the full (large) version of the image. To download large image: Right click and select "Save Picture As" (WINDOWS) or Hold 'Option' and select"Download to Disk" (MAC). Please Note: Purple Martins are not unrelenting consumers of mosquitoes as certain commercial entities have heavily publicized. For more information on this subject please read this. Thank you for not propagating this false information. Here is an informative article about how Purple Martins are unique (may serve as a good source for a summary sidebar). |
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  Putting up houses for martins to nest in is a tradition in much of North America, and today the birds depend on humans to supply them with houses and gourds for nesting. Here, a mated pair of martins rests sociably on the porch of their apartment in a wooden martin house. Color: 320K, 240 dpi |
  A group of Purple Martins relaxes on a perching area provided for them by their human "landlord." A colony site for martins may have from one pair up to several hundred pairs of martins nesting in housing the landlord provides. In return for the favor, the martins repay their landlords with entertainment and insect control. Color: 448K, 240 dpi |
  An alert male Purple Martin scans the skies for the presence of other martins. People once believed that the "scout," the term for the first bird to return to a colony site each spring, would find suitable housing and then head south again, in order to escort an entire colony back north to the housing he had chosen. Today, we know that the "scout" is simply the first bird to reach the colony site, and that he remains on site to claim the best nest cavity. A "scout" can be a male or a female martin. Color: 608K, 240 dpi |
  An adult male Purple Martin, showing the characteristic purple-black plumage that gives this species of swallow their name. Like many swallow species, martins seem to prefer to nest near people, and their aerial grace, bug-eating habits, and soft, pleasant vocalizations make them popular neighbors with the people who put up bird houses and gourds for the martins to nest in. Although martins have been heavily promoted as mosquito-eaters, diet studies conducted by biologists have failed to back up this claim. Color: 928K, 240 dpi |
  A male Purple Martin preparing to take a green leaf into its nest in a dried gourd. Both male and female martins take pieces of green leaves in to line their nest. Throughout the nesting period, they will keep house by removing dried or soiled leaves, and replacing them with fresh leaves. Color: 320K, 240 dpi |
  Purple Martins, a swallow species that nests in groups or colonies, obviously find this combination of a wooden martin house and gourds to their liking. Native Americans put up dried, hollow gourds for the birds to nest in thousands of years ago. When European colonists arrived in the New World, they put up gourds and added wooden houses, similar to the dovecotes they used to raise squab for the table. Today, east of the Rocky Mountains, Purple Martins rely almost completely on human-supplied housing for their nesting needs. Color: 480K, 240 dpi |
  A female Purple Martin perched next to the plastic SuperGourd she's nesting in. Gourds are the oldest form of martin house; Native Americans put up gourds for martins to nest in long before Europeans came to North America. Today's martin gourds have been modernized with access doors that make it easy for landlords to monitor nests and by adding a canopy over the entrance hole to shield the nest from rain. Color: 352K, 240 dpi |
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