Are you looking to attract and house Purple Martins? Until recently, only the final destinations and a few stop-over locations were known from banding data, but not the exact routes or the duration of the journey. Purple martins are complete neotropical migrants and travel from North America in the summer to South America as far as Brazil and Argentina in the winter. Longer days give the martin more hours of daylight each day to gather insects. One is the over land route that takes the martin over Central America and Mexico. Purple Martins migrate each spring from their wintering grounds in South America to their breeding grounds in North America. Purple Martins are aerial insectivores, rather than seed-eaters, and they would not be able to survive the winter months in much of North America. ... Young purple martins, returning from the south for the first time, are looking for a place to nest. Purple Martin Scouts. Researchers at Cornell Lab of Ornithology estimate that bad weather kills more purple martins that all other factors. Purple Martin, male . Migration Wintering in South America, purple martins migrate to North America in spring to breed. Purple Martins do not mind humans looking into their nests, which makes this a fun hobby to do with children at any age. Spring migration is the movement of Purple Martins from their winter grounds in South America to their breeding grounds in North America and Canada. The full migration can take 2-3 months to complete as birds rest and feed along the way. Everyone looks forward to the arrival of the Purple Martins each year. Purple Martin . As elsewhere east of the Rocky Mountains, Purple Martins in Texas have abandoned their ancestral habit of nesting in natural cavities (Hill 1992, Hill 1993); they breed almost exclusively in backyard birdhouses (Brown 1997). Purple Martins exhibit a very high level of site fidelity. Scouts are the earliest arrivals each year. When to Put up Purple Martin Housing. Most people welcome Purple Martin neighbors, as these birds are agile hunters and eat large quantities of winged insects. Purple martins are found just about everywhere in North America with the exception of the Rocky Mountain States. How Early to Expect the Purple Martin Bird to Arrive in Austin, Texas Purple martins are a migratory bird with lovely plumage and the ability to perform stunning aerial acrobatics. What do I feed martins to attract them? A high percentage of martins will come back to the same house each year. Two purple martins sit high on a gourd rack located at North Park in Denham Springs. Others may fly over Mexico and through Central America. Of course, Purple Martins are by no means the only species of bird that migrates - about 520 of the 650 bird species that nest in the United States migrate south to spend the winter. 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. Purple Martins are probably leisurely migrants that fly only during the day and forage as they go. Progne subis. Most of us think their arrival means spring is just around the corner.