Purple Martin

Get to Know

Purple Martins are the largest members of the swallow family in North America. The males are a bright glossy purple-blue-black while the females are grayish with light gray bellies. It takes two years for both males and females to acquire their adult plumages.

Purple Martins are very vocal, with both males and females using different types of songs and calls to communicate with each other. One of the more unique vocalizations is the dawn song, which older Purple Martin males use to advise later-arriving, night-migrating young male martins that there are still available compartments at their site.

Distribution

The Purple Martin can be found in the spring and early summer throughout much of southern Canada, but, in general, martins are much less common in western Canada than in the eastern provinces.

Purple Martins are neo-tropical migrants. They spend most of the year