Male - Madison, Connecticut, US - July 28, 2010
Credit: Len Blumin

North American field guide

Purple Martin

Progne subis

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Identification

Field notes

18-23 cm (7-9") Locally common in open woodlands or agricultural land where suitable multicelled nesting houses are available. Native Americans were first to put out hollow gourds for nesting birds.

Male: head and body uniformly dark, shiny purplish-blue; wings and tail black.

Female and Immature: gray throat and breast; whitish belly; dull purple back; black wings and tail.

In flight; resemble European Starling (triangular wings), but note forked tail. Larger, broader winged and soars more than other swallows.

Song: liquid rolling twitter.

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Videos

2 videos

Where it lives

Distribution map

Source legend · original intervals

Loading the rebuilt map…

Unshaded in source · does not imply absence

Approximate reconstruction of a historical map. Source date unknown.

Geography: Natural Earth
Bird Advisor Identification rules 2 variants 2 rules

These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.

Purple Martin (Female or Immature)

1 rule
Rule 1 10 criteria confidence 3
Was the RUMP or LOWER BACK light ?
No · Unknown
What colour was the BELLY ?
White, or pale (grayish-white) · Gray, or blue-gray · Unknown
What colour was the BREAST ?
White, or pale (grayish-white) · Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Gray, or blue-gray · Unknown
What colour was the THROAT ?
White, or pale (grayish-white) · Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Gray, or blue-gray · Unknown
What SHAPE was the BILL ?
Straight and thick · Hooked · Downcurved · Unknown
What LENGTH was the BILL ?
Very short
What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?
Blue · Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
How BIG was the bird ?
Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized
What TYPE of bird was seen ?
Swallow-like
WHEN was the bird seen ?
Spring · Summer · Fall
result:278-purple-martin-female-or-immature:1:1 Source: 278 Purple Martin (Female or Immature), row 1

Purple Martin (Male)

1 rule
Rule 1 10 criteria confidence 3
Was the RUMP or LOWER BACK light ?
No · Unknown
What colour was the BELLY ?
Blue · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What colour was the BREAST ?
Blue · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What colour was the THROAT ?
Blue · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What SHAPE was the BILL ?
Straight and thick · Hooked · Downcurved · Unknown
What LENGTH was the BILL ?
Very short
What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?
Blue · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
How BIG was the bird ?
Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized
What TYPE of bird was seen ?
Swallow-like
WHEN was the bird seen ?
Spring · Summer · Fall