(Note to Editor: For a photo of a fully occupied purple martin house, contact Mary Lou Peter-Blecha at mlpeter@ksu.edu at 785-532-1164 or download the original from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife site at http://images.fws.gov/default.cfm?CFID=129155&CFTOKEN=93154531)

Released: March 20, 2008

Purple Martin Scouts Heralding Time to Prep Birdhouses

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. – The first purple martins returned to the Wichita area in time for St. Patrick’s Day this year, signaling birdhouse owners to prepare for the 2008 nesting season.

When they’re on schedule, the first martins arrive in northern Kansas about 10 to 14 days after they’re sighted in the south, said Chuck Otte, natural resources agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension. So, they could appear in northern counties in time for April Fool’s Day.

More than 1 million Americans maintain purple martin houses – in part, because each bird can eat 2,000 flying insects per day, Otte said. The nesting sites often look like small apartment houses, atop a tall pole. They’re plugged over the winter to discourage sparrows, starlings and other species from claiming the space first.

“If martins nested within a mile of your house last year, you can open your housing as soon as the first birds arrive. Otherwise, wait until about four weeks after the scouts show up in your area,” he said

Martins are faithful about returning to a place – even the same house – once they’ve successfully nested there, Otte explained. But, they also tend to migrate in age order, with the youngest arriving last.

“If you’re just starting out as a purple martin landlord, your best bet is to wait for last year’s fledglings – this year’s subadults,” he said. “They’re too young to be heading for any place in particular.”

Although putting out the welcome mat at the correct time is important, Otte added, the birds do allow for some flexibility. Migrating martins arrive daily throughout their breeding range each year for at least two months.

And, although they’re called scouts, the early birds aren’t really scoping out nesting sites for the flock. Scouts are just the fastest of the older birds, so not attracting one isn’t a problem.

The Purple Martin Conservation Association maintains a map of reported sightings, color coded for adults and subadults, on the Web at http://www.purplemartin.org/. The site also offers an array of useful information on everything from martin house placement to squirrel problems, Otte said.

Purple martins have lost so much habitat that they’ve been dependent on human-made nesting sites for more than 100 years, he said. Recent research found, however, the birds actually like the safety of being near, but not too close to human dwellings. Their preferred distance is 30 to 100 feet.

“Evidently, they know their enemies – snakes, owls, raccoons – will avoid areas close to human dwellings if they can,” Otte said. “This ‘knowing’ may be instinct. Or, it may be a behavior they started to learn long ago when Native Americans hung up empty gourds to attract nesting purple martins.”

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Kathleen Ward
kward@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News