martin houses
should be placed in an open location, at least 40 ft. from trees or buildings. Martins prefer to have clear access to houses from all sides, and like to have perching sites like utility wires nearby, but not attached to the
nest box
. The height of the housing can be anywhere from 12-20 ft.
When should purple martin houses be put up?
Don’t put your martin house up until four to six weeks after the first purple martins arrive Or if it’s already in place, keep the holes plugged until then, to exclude starlings and sparrows.
What is the best house for purple martins?
What Should it Be Made Out of?: Aluminum, thick plastic, wood, and natural gourds are all
suitable materials
for martin housing, provided that the exterior of the house is white in color. White reflects heat, keeping housing cooler in hot temperatures. Wooden housing should be made from untreated material only.
Which direction should a purple martin birdhouse face?
The good news is that purple martins aren’t picky when it comes to direction; north, south, east, and west are all fine, as long as it’s consistent. 6.
How do I attract purple martins to my yard?
In addition to providing appropriate houses for purple martins, supplying proper nesting materials can help encourage them to take up residence. A nearby pile of small twigs, grass clippings, and leaves is perfect, and a muddy area is also useful as these birds use mud as a binder to hold their nests together.
Are purple martins good to have around?
Purple martins are beneficial birds to have near a home or on a property because they eat insects. These birds feed during daylight, and their diet consists mainly of beetles, moths, dragonflies, butterflies, horseflies, leafhoppers and wasps.
Do martins Eat wasps?
Other flying insects, such as bees, wasps, beetles, mayflies and flying ants make up the majority of their diet Purple Martins are highly vulnerable to extended periods of cold and rainy weather that can temporarily reduce the supply of their insect food.
How do I keep starlings out of my purple martin house?
To help prevent the starlings from nesting at your colony site we recommend using starling-resistant entrance holes (SREH) at your colony site These specific entrances, called: crescent, Excluder, Modified Excluder, Excluder II, and Conley 2 will help keep starlings out of the cavities.
Do purple martins and bluebirds get along?
And these birds are fierce competitors to the martin. Also, Tree Swallows and Bluebirds might nest in a martin house as well. But, unlike Sparrows and Starlings, Tree Swallow and Bluebirds can co-habitat with Purple Martins.
Will purple martins eat dried mealworms?
Mealworms—Mealworms are a good source of protein for martins and other insect-eating birds. They can be purchased live or dried and are often less expensive than crickets.
How do you set up a purple martin house?
Purple martin birdhouses should be installed between 10′ and 14′ in the air It is best to securely mount the martin house on a pole and keep it from spinning around. Also, place your purple martin birdhouses away from trees and other types of birdhouses as martins prefer wide-open spaces.
How close can purple martin houses be?
There is no set distance apart the martin housing should be. Fifteen feet apart is enough distance that you can easily maneuver between the two systems, although they can also be farther apart.
Where do purple martins go at night?
After fledging, juvenile Purple Martins, as well as adults and subadults will congregate at a roost. Large flocks of martins gather to spend the night at these roosts, which are usually situated near water or in trees Martins will then form smaller groups and begin migration from these roosts.
How far off the ground should a martin house be?
The height of an installed purple martin house should be between 12–20 feet The home should be placed at the upper end of that range if there are trees or bushes nearby, but if the area is very open then shorter homes will be just as suitable.
What is the best direction to face a birdhouse?
A birdhouse and its entrance hole should face away from prevailing winds In the United States, it’s very common for a birdhouse to face east, which is often faced away from the prevailing wind and the strong afternoon sun.
How do I get my house martins to nest?
Encouraging them to nest A muddy pool or puddle where they can collect nesting material is helpful, especially during a dry spring. They appear to choose sites at random, but painting the top half of a building white or cream may attract them. Various artificial house martin nests are available.
Where do purple martins go in the winter?
Purple Martins migrate to South America for the winter, but before leaving, they may gather to roost in groups of thousands in late summer. Has declined seriously in parts of the west, and currently declining in the east.
How long do purple martins live?
“Most martins probably live only 2-5 years ” (http://www. span of life of the Purple Martin is between 0 and 13 years, nine months, at least, and even beyond perhaps.”.
When should I take down my purple martin house?
Martins can begin nesting up through the end of June. Do Not Close Housing Too Soon. Do not close the entrance holes or take the housing down until late August, or mid-September for northern regions Fledglings may be exploring breeding sites for next year.
Will purple martins run off other birds?
They bother the martins by continually running them off and if the martins do get to lay eggs, both of these birds will go from compartment to compartment, destroying the eggs and young and taking over the nesting cavities.
What is the best nesting material for purple martins?
Martins construct their nests of leaves, grass and feathers. Try offering these supplies hanging about your yard in old suet cages. Or, try our ready-made nesting material for added success. Predator Guards can be installed on the houses to protect from natural predators such as owls, hawks, snakes and raccoons.
Do decoys help attract purple martins?
Decoys are believed to increase the chances of attracting breeding purple martins by helping to create the illusion of genuine colony-site activity. This gives scouts the confidence to stay and nest.
Do owls eat purple martins?
Predators are everywhere. Whether a martin colony is located on a public park, at a school, or in your own backyard, Purple Martins are vulnerable to aerial predators such as hawks and owls , and ground predators such as raccoons, snakes, and squirrels.
Why do purple martins like houses?
Most purple martin houses are white. That’s because white reflects heat, keeping the house (and the nestlings) cooler The birds also seem to be attracted to white houses. It might be because the entrance holes are dark, making them easier to spot against the white house.
Do martins eat flies?
Martins eat beetles, flies , dragonflies, mayflies, bees, stink bugs, cicadas, flying ants, damselflies, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers and wasps. Purple martins do not eat huge quantities of mosquitoes.
Will purple martins fight sparrows?
Native to North America, purple martins have come under intense pressure by proliferating introduced bird species such as the English house sparrow. Male sparrows are extremely territorial. They have been known to sneak into the nests of purple martins and destroy their eggs or kill the young.
What birds take over purple martin houses?
A purple martin’s worst enemies are two aggressive, non-native birds that have been introduced into North America, the house sparrow (below, left) and the starling (below, right) Both covet purple martin houses and will take them over if the landlords let them.
How do you keep hawks away from purple martins?
A major strategy to minimize successful Accipiter hawks on a colony of purple martins is to provide a completely open environment Any nearby trees, particularly ones that are less than 60 feet from the martin housing create camouflage for an Accipiter to launch surprise attacks.
Do martins eat horse flies?
Martins eat insects, lots of insects. Among them are dragonflies, horseflies, wasps, beetles, moths and grasshoppers They will even catch an occasional housefly that happens to stray a little too high.
Will purple martins use a bird bath?
No need for a birdbath either— they prefer to bathe in natural water sources such as ponds, rivers, and lakes Providing a nesting site for purple martins to roost in your backyard is a great way to keep invasive bugs at bay and enjoy the birds’ entertaining aerobatics all summer long.
Where do the purple martins go?
Most Purple Martins that breed in eastern North American probably migrate across the Gulf of Mexico They form huge roosts (of several hundred thousand birds) in late summer along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. Others may fly over Mexico and through Central America.
How can you tell the difference between a purple martin and a starling?
The starling will have flecks of coloring on its back These flecks can appear iridescent or sometimes brownish in color. Purple Martins Never have any color variation on their backs. The wings of purple martins are longer and tapered.
What is the difference between a purple martin and a barn swallow?
Barn Swallow Adult Barn Swallows have longer and more deeply forked tails than Purple Martins They also have peachy or creamy underparts, whereas female Purple Martins have dingy underparts.
What do you feed purple martins?
Martins feed only on flying insects , so they need to be “trained” to recognize crickets, mealworms, and cooked egg as food when weather is not conducive to foraging. Tossing or propelling food items into the air cues the martins to go after the food, so this is usually the best way to begin supplemental feeding.
Will purple martins run off tree swallows?
It is not unheard of to have a martin colony and tree swallow nest within close proximity of each other and as long as they each have their own space, then all will get along just fine However; if tree swallows are allowed to begin a nest in NEW martin housing, then this can create a problem.
References
http://www.birdwatching.com/tips/purplemartin_attracting.html
https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9428
https://www.wildbirdstoreonline.com/collections/purple-martin-house