Purple martin - wikipedia Purple martin Purple martin Adult male Adult female Conservation status Least Concern ( IUCN 3.1 ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Aves Order : Passeriformes Family : Hirundinidae Genus : Progne Species : P. subis Binomial name Progne subis ( Linnaeus, 1758 ) The purple martin ( Progne subis ) is the largest North American swallow. They are known for their speed and agility in flight, and when approaching their housing, will dive from the sky at great speeds with their wings tucked. Contents 1 Description and taxonomy 1.1 Subspecies 1.2 Distribution and habitat 2 Conservation status 2.1 Relationship with humans 3 Behavior 3.1 Migration 3.2 Breeding 3.3 Diet 3.4 Vocalization 4 Footnotes 5 References 6 External links Description and taxonomy Purple martins are a kind of swallow, of the genus Progne. Like other members of this genus, they are larger than most of the other swallows. The average length from bill to tail is 20 cm ( 7.9 in ). Adults have a slightly forked tail. Adult males are entirely black with glossy steel blue sheen, the only swallow in North America with such coloration. Adult females are dark on top with some steel blue sheen, and lighter underparts. Subadult females look similar to adult females minus the steel blue sheen and browner on the back. Subadult males look very much like females, but solid black feathers emerge on their chest in a blotchy, random pattern as they molt to their adult plumage. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Hirundo subis. The current genus name refers to Procne ( Πρόκνη ), a mythological girl who was turned into a swallow to save her from her husband. She had killed their son to avenge the rape of her sister. The specific subis is Latin and refers to a type of bird that breaks eagles ' eggs ; it may have been applied to this species because of its aggression towards birds of prey when it is nesting. The species of this genus are very closely related, and some view the purple martin, gray - breasted martin, snowy - bellied martin, and southern martin, as a superspecies. Subspecies P. s. subis, is the nominate form, with the typical features of the species, breeds in eastern and mid-western North America. P. s. hesperia of the Mexico and the southwestern United States, is distinguished primarily by its nesting habits. P. s. arboricola of western mountains is large with females paler on underparts. Distribution and habitat Fledglings in Oklahoma, United States Purple martins ' breeding range is throughout temperate North America. Their breeding habitat is open areas across eastern North America, and also some locations on the west coast from British Columbia to Mexico. Martins make their nests in cavities, either natural or artificial. In many places, humans put up real or artificial hollow gourds, or houses for martins, especially in the east, where purple martins are almost entirely dependent on such structures. As a result, this subspecies typically breeds in colonies located in proximity to people, even within cities and towns. This makes their distribution patchy, as they are usually absent from areas where no nest sites are provided. Western birds often make use of natural cavities such as old woodpecker holes in trees or saguaro cacti. The purple martin migrates to the Amazon basin in winter. Its winter range extends into Ecuador but does not seem to ascend far up the Andean foothills. The first record of this species in Europe was a single bird on Lewis, Scotland, on 5 -- 6 September 2004, and the second was on the Azores on 6 September 2004. Conservation status Play media Adults around gourds and nest boxes in a garden in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States Nest boxes at Nepean Sailing Club in Nepean, Ontario, Canada Purple martins suffered a severe population crash in the 20th century widely linked to the release and spread of European starlings in North America. Starlings and house sparrows compete with martins for nest cavities. Where purple martins once gathered by the thousands, by the 1980s they had all but disappeared. Relationship with humans The population of eastern purple martins ( nominate form P. s. subis ) is dependent on artificial martin houses of wood or aluminum and fake plastic gourds, supplied by individuals and organizations fond of the bird. This tradition was in place even before the population crash ; Native Americans are said to have hollowed out gourds and erected them for this purpose. The situation requires continual maintenance, as European starlings and house sparrows compete with martins as cavity - nesters, and will fight with martins over nest sites. Starlings have even been known to kill purple martins, especially nestling young, and house sparrows have been known to evict purple martins from their nests. Thus, unmonitored purple martin houses are often overtaken by more aggressive, non-native species. The wide - spread adoption of a semi-eliptical entrance in purple martin houses has been effective in reducing starling predation. This entrance style was first patented in the 1990s by Frank Prekep, an avid Purple Martin enthusiast from Milton, Delaware. Purple martin proponents are motivated by the concern that the purple martin would likely vanish from eastern North America were it not for this assistance. Behavior Migration Wintering in South America, purple martins migrate to North America in spring to breed. Spring migration is somewhat staggered, with arrivals in southern areas such as Florida and Texas in January, but showing up in the northern United States in April and in Canada as late as May. Males usually arrive at a site before females. Fall migration is also staggered, as birds head south when the breeding season is over. Some birds leave as early as July and others stay as late as October. Martins generally migrate over land, through Mexico and Central America. When not breeding, martins form large flocks and roost together in great numbers. This behavior begins just prior to the southern migration and continues on the wintering grounds. Breeding Eggs and small chicks in a nest box in Oklahoma, United States Males arrive in breeding sites before females, and establish their territory. A territory can consist of several potential nest sites. After forming a pair, both the male and female inspect available nest sites. This process is complicated by the fact that artificial nest sites could be houses with many rooms, clustered gourds, or single gourds. The nest is made inside the cavity of such artificial structures and retains a somewhat flat appearance. The nest is a structure of primarily three levels : the first level acts as a foundation and is usually made up of twigs, mud, small pebbles and in at least a few reported cases, small river mollusk shells were used ; the second level of the nest is made up of grasses, finer smaller twigs ; the third level of construction composing the nest, is a small compression usually lined with fresh green leaves where the eggs are laid. Three to six eggs are laid, and the female is the main incubator, with some help from the male. Purple martins are generally known to raise only a single brood. Fledging, when the young leave the nest, occurs at about one month, after which the parents continue to feed the fledgling young. Diet Purple martins are aerial insectivores, meaning that they catch insects from the air. The birds are agile hunters and eat a variety of winged insects. Rarely, they will come to the ground to eat insects. They usually fly relatively high, so, contrary to popular opinion, mosquitoes do not form a large part of their diet. Recent research, however, does indicate that the Purple Martin feeds on invasive fire ants ( Solenopsis invicta ) and that they may make up a significant portion of their diet. Vocalization Purple martins are fairly noisy, chirping and making sounds that have been described as chortles, rattles, and croaks. The various calls are said to be `` throaty and rich '' and can be rendered as tchew - wew, pew pew, choo, cher, zweet and zwrack. The males have a gurgling and guttural courtship song, a dawn song, and even a subsong used at the end of the breeding season. Tapes of purple martin song are sold to attract martins to newly established birdhouses. Purple martin Problems playing this file ? See media help. Purple martin Problems playing this file ? See media help. Footnotes Jump up ^ BirdLife International ( 2012 ). `` Progne subis ''. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013. ^ Jump up to : Brown, Charles R. Purple Martin ( Progne subis ) ; The Birds of North America Online ( A. Poole, eds. Ithaca : Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna. Retrieved 1 November 2009. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^ Linnaeus ( 1758 Jump up ^ Jobling, James A ( 2010 ). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London : Christopher Helm. pp. 317, 371. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4081 - 2501 - 4. ^ Jump up to : Turner, Angela K. ; Rose, Chris ( 1989 ). Swallows & Martins. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. pp. 7, 123 -- 126. ISBN 0 - 395 - 51174 - 7. Jump up ^ Attenborough, D. The Life of Birds. 1998. BBC p 297. ISBN 0563 - 38792 - 0 Jump up ^ See AOU ( 2000 ) for details. Jump up ^ Guayas and Orellana Provinces : Cisneros - Heredia ( 2006 ). Jump up ^ Hunn, Eugene S. ( 1982 ). Birding in Seattle and King County. Seattle Audubon Society. pp. 107 -- 108. ISBN 0914516051. Jump up ^ `` Purple Martin Conservation Association ''. Archived from the original on 2012 - 07 - 30. Jump up ^ Helms IV, Jackson A., Bridge, Eli S., Godfrey, Aaron P, and Ames, Tayna. ( 2015 ) : The Purple Martin Update. `` Fire Ant Exterminators ''. 24 - 27. Jump up ^ Peterson ( 1980 ) : p. 202 References American Ornithologists ' Union ( AOU ) ( 2000 ). Forty - second supplement to the American Ornithologists ' Union Check - list of North American Birds. Auk 117 ( 3 ) : 847 -- 858. DOI : 10.1642 / 0004 - 8038 ( 2000 ) 117 ( 0847 : FSSTTA ) 2.0.CO ; 2 Cisneros - Heredia, Diego F. ( 2006 ). `` Información sobre la distribución de algunas especies de aves de Ecuador ''. ( `` Information on the distribution of some species of birds of Ecuador '' ). Boletín de la Sociedad Antioqueña de Ornitología 16 ( 1 ) : 7 - 16. ( Spanish with English abstract ) Linnaeus, Carolus ( 1758 ). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata ( in Latin ). Holmiae. ( Laurentii Salvii ). p. 192. Peterson, Roger Tory ( 1980 ). A Completely New Guide to All the Birds of Eastern and Central North America ( 4th ed. ). Houghton Mifflin, Boston. ISBN 99975 - 1 - 436 - X External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Purple martin. Wikispecies has information related to Progne subis Purple Martin Conservation Association The Nature Society purple martin monthly publication and information The Purple Martin Society, NA Stamps ( for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ) at bird-stamps.org `` Purple Martin media ''. Internet Bird Collection. How to Help Purple Martins - National Audubon Society Purple Martin at Hinterland 's Who 's Who ( Environment Canada & The Canadian Wildlife Federation ) Purple Martin Bird Sound at Florida Museum of Natural History Purple Martin photo gallery at VIREO ( Drexel University ) Purple Martin NestCam 2018 Swallows ( family : Hirundinidae ) River martins ( subfamily : Pseudochelidoninae genus : Pseudochelidon ) Genus Species Pseudochelidon African river martin White - eyed river martin All other swallows and martins ( subfamily : Hirundininae ) Genus Species Psalidoprocne ( saw - wings ) Square - tailed saw - wing Mountain saw - wing White - headed saw - wing Black saw - wing Fanti saw - wing Pseudhirundo Grey - rumped swallow Cheramoeca White - backed swallow Phedina Mascarene martin Brazza 's martin Riparia ( sand martins ) Brown - throated sand martin Congo sand martin Sand martin Pale martin Banded martin Tachycineta ( tree swallows ) Tree swallow Violet - green swallow Golden swallow Bahama swallow Tumbes swallow Mangrove swallow White - winged swallow White - rumped swallow Chilean swallow Progne Purple martin Caribbean martin Sinaloa martin Gray - breasted martin Galápagos martin Peruvian martin Southern martin Brown - chested martin Notiochelidon Brown - bellied swallow Blue - and - white swallow Pale - footed swallow Black - capped swallow Haplochelidon Andean swallow Atticora White - banded swallow Black - collared swallow Neochelidon White - thighed swallow Stelgidopteryx Northern rough - winged swallow Southern rough - winged swallow Alopochelidon Tawny - headed swallow Hirundo ( barn swallows ) Barn swallow Red - chested swallow Angola swallow Pacific swallow Welcome swallow White - throated swallow Ethiopian swallow Wire - tailed swallow White - throated blue swallow Pied - winged swallow White - tailed swallow Pearl - breasted swallow Blue swallow Black - and - rufous swallow Ptyonoprogne ( crag martins ) Eurasian crag martin Rock martin Dusky crag martin Pale crag martin Delichon ( house martins ) Common house martin Asian house martin Nepal house martin Cecropis Greater striped swallow Lesser striped swallow Rufous - chested swallow Mosque swallow Red - rumped swallow Sri Lanka swallow West African swallow Striated swallow Striated swallow Petrochelidon Forest swallow Streak - throated swallow Fairy martin Tree martin American cliff swallow Red - throated cliff swallow Preuss 's cliff swallow Red Sea cliff swallow South African cliff swallow Cave swallow Chestnut - collared swallow Cheramoeca White - backed swallow Taxon identifiers Wikidata : Q1062485 Wikispecies : Progne subis ABA : purmar ADW : Progne_subis ARKive : progne - subis BirdLife : 22712098 eBird : purmar EoL : 1050591 GBIF : 2489129 IBC : purple - martin - progne - subis iNaturalist : 11867 IRMNG : 10194766 ITIS : 178464 IUCN : 22712098 NBN : NHMSYS0001688289 NCBI : 173220 WoRMS : 225991 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_martin&oldid=854528710 '' Categories : IUCN Red List least concern species Progne Birds of North America Birds of the United States Birds of South America Birds described in 1758 Hidden categories : Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs Articles with ' species ' microformats Articles with hAudio microformats CS1 Latin - language sources ( la ) Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikispecies Asturianu Български Català Cebuano Cymraeg Deutsch Diné bizaad Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français עברית Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 پښتو Polski Русский Svenska Türkçe Tiếng Việt Winaray 14 more Edit links This page was last edited on 12 August 2018, at 01 : 10 ( UTC ). 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Question: where do purple martins go for the winter
Answer: South America