8.0 inches long. The Purple Martin is the largest swallow. It has a forked tail. The male is entirely glossy blue-black. The female is has dark blue-gray upperparts and whitish underparts and a gray collar around the neck. There is some speckling in the sides and belly. The first spring male is similar to the female including having a gray collar but has more white underneath with reduced speckling. Like all swallows the Purple Martin has long pointed wings.
The Purple Martin is a common breeding bird in the area that arrives by mid March and leaves by early October.
The Purple Martin will nest communally in manmade martin houses in residential areas. As a matter of fact east of the Rockies there are now few records of Martins nesting in natural cavities. Starlings and House Sparrows compete for nest sites and without human intervention the Purple Martin can be driven from local sites. Its diet consists exclusively of flying insects. It is vulnerable to cold weather spells during the spring and summer and at those times may suffer high mortality rates.
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