Purple Martin

Progne subis

Martφn Purp·reo,
Golondrina Púrpura

 

 

 

 

Audio (M. Oberle)

 
Male - Photo: K. Li

 

The male is a large, all-purple swallow. The female has a white belly. Length: 21 cm.; weight: 55 g. Audio (M. Oberle). Breeds in much of eastern and Pacific coastal North America. Winters in South America. Rare migrant through Puerto Rico (e.g. Boquerón, 11 May 1974 and 17 March 2000), but often confused with the nesting Caribbean Martin.

TAXONOMY: PASSERIFORMES; HIRUNDINIDAE; Hirundininae

 
   
Male - Photo: K. Li

 

Male - Photo: K. Li

 

Female - Photo: G. Beaton

 

Female - Photo: K. Li

 

Female - Photo: K. Li

 

Female - Photo: K. Li

 

Juveniles - Photo: K. Li

References

Arendt, W.J. 1992. Status of North American migrant landbirds in the Caribbean region: a summary. Pp. 143-171 in Ecology and conservation of neotropical migrant landbirds (J.M. Hagan III and D.W. Johnston, eds.) Smithsonian Instit. Press, Washington, D.C.

Bent, A.C. 1942. Life histories of North American flycatchers, larks, swallows, and their allies. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 179. (Reprinted by Dover Press, NY, 1963).

Brown, C. R. 1997. Purple Martin (Progne subis) No. 287 in The birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, PA, and Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, D.C.

Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birderÆs handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster/ Fireside, NY.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR.

Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton.

Ridgely, R.S., and Tudor, G. 1989. The birds of South America: the oscine passerines. Univ. Texas Press, Austin.

Turner, A. and C. Rose. 1989. Swallows & martins: an identification guide and handbook. Houghton, Mifflin, Boston.

The Purple Martin Society: http://purplemartins.com/

Photos / Fotos (Kevin Li):
http://www.purplemartins.com/OutsideResources/levin-li/index.htm

Purple Martin, Spanish text

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