* Adult males are a very dark steel blue to almost black. The reflection of the sun off their dark feathers gives their feathers a purplish hue. Females also have dark backs but don't have the black bellies like the mature males. Female undersides are of a mottled gray. Fledglings and first year males are similar in appearance to females.
* Purple Martins are the only North American Species of songbird entirely dependent upon human-supplied nesting cavities for reproduction.
* Purple Martins have lovely warbling vocalizations. Martins have a huge repertoire of songs, many of which are best described as a chortle. Males have a unique clicking sound at the end of their song. A house full of chattering martins is lovely to the human ear and a wonderful summer experience.
* Purple Martins are champion insect eaters. They catch all of their insect prey while in flight. They are extremely agile fliers with soaring, diving flights of breath-taking grace. Common items in their diet include midges, flies, horseflies, wasps, bees, beetles, mayflies, stinkbugs, plant hoppers, grasshoppers, cicadas, moths and of course mosquitoes.
