How to Attract Purple Martins For The Summer

If you provide a nice place for purple martins to stay for the summer, they'll come back every year.

As far back as the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians, purple martins have lived in man-made homes, says Dr. H. Lee Stribling, Extension wildlife scientist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "The Indians provided hollowed-out gourds for the birds, but more elaborate birdhouses are also attractive to purple martins," said Stribling.

Usually by May, most purple martins have made their way to North America. Most return to the same nesting area they used the year before, sometimes even the same room of a birdhouse.

Purple martins will live in hollowed-out gourds if available. Find a dried gourd about 8 inches in diameter and 6 inches in height. Lightly sand any black mold off of it. Cut a 2 1/4-inch circle 3 to 5 inches above the inside floor for the entrance. Remove all pith and seeds. A light colored paint will reduce the temperature inside the gourd. Cut out a few 1/4-inch holes in the bottom of the gourd to allow water to drain out and a few at the top to help air circulate.

According to Stribling, you hang 6 to 8 gourds from a horizontal bar attached to an 8 to 15 foot pole.

If you decide to build a martin house instead, use these few guidelines: make the entrance at least 2 inches, but no more than 2 1/2 inches. Your martin house should have more than one entrance. (Everyone needs a back door.) The floor space should be at least 6-by-6 inches and the ceiling at least four inches. Martins also like porches, at least as wide as their entrances.

Remember to store your martin houses or gourds once your martins have moved out for the winter. Repair any part of the structures that need it. Put them back out by late March or early April. Some of the stronger birds may come back early.