Bird Album
Purple Martin
Progne subis (Linnaeus, 1758)
54 gWeight
The purple martin (Progne subis) is a passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae.
Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Belize
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Belize
Purple Martin has been recorded at 1,000 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 30 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Lincoln Park, ChicagoUnited States13,784 records
- Parker River NWRUnited States11,427 records
- Cape Island – South Cape May MeadowsUnited States10,184 records
More places
- Estero Llano Grande SP WBCUnited States9,770 records
- Bombay Hook National Wildlife RefugeUnited States9,720 records
- Edwin B. Forsythe NWRUnited States9,043 records
- Cape Island – Cape May Point SPUnited States8,994 records
- The Celery FieldsUnited States8,462 records
- Point Pelee National ParkCanada8,255 records
- Hornsby BendUnited States6,884 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The purple martin (Progne subis) is a passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae. It is the largest swallow in North America. They breed across the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, as well as the coastal Pacific Northwest, Baja California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Purple Martin?
The Purple Martin weighs around 54 g.
Where does the Purple Martin live?
Its breeding range: North America, Middle America: widespread. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Belize.
When is the best time to see the Purple Martin?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Purple Martin endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Purple Martin as Least Concern.
What does the Purple Martin eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Purple Martin in?
It belongs to the family Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Weight
- 54 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 147 mm
- Tail
- 72 mm
- Bill
- 17 mm
- Tarsus
- 15 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Middle America: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Swallows, Martins Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Progne
Other birds in the genus Progne
Brown-chested MartinProgne tapera
Peruvian MartinProgne murphyi
Galapagos MartinProgne modesta
Southern MartinProgne elegans
Grey-breasted MartinProgne chalybea
Sinaloa MartinProgne sinaloae
Cuban MartinProgne cryptoleuca
Caribbean MartinProgne dominicensis
African River MartinPseudochelidon eurystomina
White-eyed River MartinPseudochelidon sirintarae
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Bill Carrell. ↗
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