Last Updated: December 2, 2009 by Paul Lehman
winter
summer
migration
year round
extralimital range 
A large, swallow-like bird with broad-based wings and a relatively long, forked tail. Males are glossy bluish-black. Females are less blue above, with a grayish collar and medium to pale gray underparts, darkest on the breast.
Length: 19 (cm) Wingspan: 40 (cm)
Voice:
Song a series of variable, short notes, followed by gurgling, croaking noises. Also makes chur or zweet notes.
Habitat:
Breeds and forages in open fields, lakes, rivers, or forest edges.
Behavior:
Huge flocks may form in fall along the east coast. Nests in human-provided boxes or natural cavities. Flies with powerful wingbeats and then glides.
Feeding:
Feeds on flying insects.
Field Notes
Purple Martin can Forge at Great heights I have even seen them has High has Black Swifts can go almost to the point even with Bins is Unnoticeable
Citation: Personal Experience. I observe this regularly, highly confident.
Expanded Life History
| Feed Ecology And Diet | Contribute Content |
| Nesting Habits | Contribute Content |
| Migration Status |
This following was copied from an online article posted by Matt Mendenhall on 25 Feb 2013 at the link at the end of this comment. " Birds of the eastern subis subspecies were tagged in far-flung breeding sites in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Minnesota, Virginia, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas. When their geolocators were retrieved, the data revealed a surprise: The birds share a broad, overlapping wintering area along the Amazon River in northern Brazil. In contrast, martins from the western arboricola subspecies appear to have a distinct wintering region in southeastern Brazil, approximately 1,800 miles (3,000 km) from the core wintering region of the eastern subspecies. Fraser and Stutchbury of York University and 12 colleagues published the research in December 2012 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. --Matt Mendenhall, Managing Editor
A link to the original paper/ PDF can be found at:
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| Conservation Status | Contribute Content |
| Local Sites to Spot | Contribute Content |
| Abundance Status | Contribute Content |
| Adult Male Description | Contribute Content |
| Adult Female Description | Contribute Content |
| ITIS Taxonomic Number | Contribute Content |
| Sonogram | Contribute Content |
| Courtship | Contribute Content |
| Reproductive Characteristics | Contribute Content |
| Relationship to Humans | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Size & Shape | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Color & Pattern | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Habitat | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Behavior | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Wingspan | Contribute Content |
| ID Tips - Weight | Contribute Content |
| Breeding | Contribute Content |
| Cool Facts | Contribute Content |
| Local Knowledge | Contribute Content |
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Sightings
| Date | Submitted By | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 05/22/18 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/30/16 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 08/30/16 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 05/05/15 | Steven Mauvais, OR | # |
| 03/10/86 | Chelsea Bassanese, BC | # |
| 09/03/13 | Steven Mauvais, OR | 3 |
| 09/01/13 | Dave Irons, OR | 4 |
| 08/03/13 | Carol Cwiklinski, VA | # |
| 08/11/13 | Carol Cwiklinski, VA | # |
| 08/13/13 | Dan Mitchell, OR | 25 |
| 08/11/13 | Dave Irons, OR | 7 |
| 08/10/13 | Dave Irons, OR | 5 |
| 06/01/13 | Carol Cwiklinski, VA | # |
| 06/15/13 | Bill Fiero, NY | # |
| 05/12/11 | Jane Van Coney, OH | # |
Recent Activity
| Activity | Date & Time |
|---|---|
| Steven Mauvais added Purple Martin to their Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge smart list | 9/03/2013 at 1:09PM |
| JC Blake added a note to Purple Martin Notes | 5/09/2013 at 12:42AM |
