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Purple Martin
| Color: |
Purple |
| Size: |
8" |
| Season: |
Summer |
| Description: |
Male is dark bluish purple with black wings and tail. Female has a duller back, tail and wings, and a gray-flecked belly. Juvenile is largely gray with a white belly. |
| Voice: |
Call sounds like sher sher, and is given near the nest.
Click here to listen
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| Habitat: |
Open areas. They often nest in martin houses in suburbs and rural areas. |
| Interesting Fact: |
The practice of putting up gourds or houses for Purple Martins began with American Indians. The species once nested in holes vacated by woodpeckers and natural cavities in cliffs. They now nest almost exclusively in human-made houses. |
| Scientific name: |
Progne subis |
| Order: |
Passeriformes |
| Family: |
Hirundinidae |
Juvenile and adult male Robert Herron |
Adult female Ben Meadors |
Nesting in houses designed for Purple Martins Dan Scheiman |
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