The purple martin is the largest swallow in North America, and arguably the most popular. Males have dark purpleish black feathers all over their bodies. The females are paler in color, with dark ...

Choose the Right Housing: Martins need elevated, multi-compartment homes placed in open areas with clear flight paths. Prep for Spring: Set up birdhouses before the Martins arrive—timing varies by ...

Every year, bird enthusiasts hang groups of plastic gourds for purple martins to nest in Erica Royer Look up during the summer in eastern or southeastern North America, and you may spot a purple ...

They’re topped by what looks like old-fashioned TV antennas, ringed with plastic gourd-shaped cavities and elevated off the ground on aluminum poles. These are condos for purple martins, a type of ...

Let’s start with a revelation that may deflate your justification for providing purple martins with housing support. It turns out the forever belief that purple martins are among the most important ...

BRAINERD — “It all began in the early 1970s” said Larry Leonard, of Brainerd. “I built a purple martin house and put it up. Before I had the last nut tightened on the pole, martins were checking out ...

Dick Nikolai of Appleton spent his professional career dedicated to Wisconsin's wildlife, including animals tiny and large, abundant and endangered and game and non-game. But in retirement he's ...

A hot, humid summer day is replete with sounds of nature that remind us of the freedom of being outdoors. One of these sounds is that of the purple martin, a deep purplish-black swallow that raises ...

The first purple martins of the year have been spotted in South Dakota, marking the start of spring migration. These birds travel up to 7,000 miles from Brazil to their breeding grounds in North ...

*Refers to the latest 2 years of stltoday.com stories. Cancel anytime. BRENTWOOD • A quarter century of residency in the St. Louis area notwithstanding, John Miller’s favorite bird is not the one ...

ESCANABA, MI – Joe Kaplan spun a crank handle around and around as a large, wooden birdhouse inched its way toward the ground, where he unlatched the front access and peered inside. Two purple martin ...