Purple Martins

The purple martin is one of few birds who prefer living in colonies rather than in isolated pairs. They provide much enjoyment as they are beautiful, swooping fliers and are friendly around people. In coloring the male is a glossy black or violet, with purple iridescence. The female is light -breasted in contrast to the male. The martin diet consists almost entirely of insects, making them a desirable bird to attract for natural insect-control. As martins are very active and require a large amount of food, the number of insects they eat in order to get sufficient nourishment can number in the thousands each day.