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Surfbirds The Backyard Birding Experts!
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Surfbirds The Backyard Birding Experts!
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Purple Martin |
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Purple Martins are the largest swallow in North America. Birds are roughly the size of starlings. The photographs below are of young birds which have paler gray bellies. Adults are a deep purplish blue color. Purple Martins are very strong flyers. Birds winter in Brazil and nest in North America. Stray young birds have even flown across the Atlantic! Their diet consists of flying insects which they catch in flight. Many people put up Martin houses each year and fail to attract any birds. Purple Martin houses need to be at least 30 ft away from any houses and must not have any trees higher than the house nearby. Houses should be 10-20 ft off the ground. Martins like to feed near water so boat docks make an ideal location for a house. Nesting begins from June through August. Birds are very faithful and return to the same site each year. Some lucky and dedicated Purple Martin addicts have watched their colonies grow from a few birds to more than 40 birds in a few years! Click Here to See Some Purple Martin Houses from Surfbirds | Purple Martin Society
Purple Martins are strong migrants and have been known to stray off cpourse. These birds were seen on the Falkland Islands off Argentina. The first ever sighting in these remote islands. Next stop Antarctica! Blue above with red throats, these birds are similar to Cliff Swallows. Note the long tail streamers and the blue back. Cliff Swallows have reddish rumps. Barn Swallows also winter in South America and spend the summer in North America where they can be found nesting in mud nests under house eaves and in barns and other primitive structures (see photo below). Barn Swallows catch insects in flight. There are no houses that can be put up for this species.
Feeding some hungry youngsters!
Cliff Swallows are much smaller than Martins and have reddish collars, rumps and throats and a pale yellowish patch on their foreheads. They nest in mud domes underneath arches and eaves of houses. Blue above with red throats and rumps. Cliff Swallows are the returning swallows of San Capistrano in California. These swallows also winter in South America and spend the summer in North America where they can be found nesting in mud nests under house eaves and under bridges. They can often be found flying to muddy puddles to collect mud for thier nests. Cliff Swallows catch insects in flight. There are no houses that can be put up for this species. On Migration
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