Your Guide to Attracting Purple Martins


S & K
Heath
Coates
Lonestar
Nature House
Heritage Farms
and
Martin Attractors



Also check out our Guide to Buying your Purple Martin House


and our Helpful Hints on Maintaining Purple Martin Houses.

 


Are you looking to attract and house Purple Martins? The first thing you need to know is whether you live within the breeding range of Progne subis subis - the Purple Martin that is attracted to man built housing. In the United States, this is typically the eastern ½ of the country, as shown on the map.

When should you be ready? The map also indicates when you can expect mature adult martins to return to established breeding sites. Sub-adult martins, those in their first breeding years, tend to follow the mature adults 3-6 weeks later. 

If you have an established colony, you should be ready for the mature adults  (within the time lines shown on the map). However, if you are establishing a new colony - wait for the arrival of the sub-adults and don’t open your housing for another 3-6 weeks. Waiting will help prevent problems with sparrows, starlings and other birds. 

If birds other than Purple Martins try to nest in your house, lower the house and remove the nest – temporarily plugging the entry holes if necessary to keep them from returning.
Where should you put your house? First and foremost, martins are looking for safety and security. Raise the house to the full extent of your pole (typically 10-15 feet) and keep the house at least 40 feet away from trees. Martins actually want to be near to you!  A location between 40 - 120 ft from your own house works well, as does the center of an open spot or the edge of a pond or lake.

Use Decoys and CD’s/tapes – they work! Martins are social and visual and audile decoys create the appearance of site activity, like cars in the parking lot of a good restaurant.

If at first you don’t see martins, don’t despair. The migration lasts through the end of June! Be diligent, and keep your house maintained. Also, keep your house up through August. While this is too late to attract nesting pairs, this year’s fledglings will already be scouting for next season.