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Purple Martin - BirdForum Opus

Progne subis
Photo by HelenB
Photographed near Houston, Texas, USA

Identification

7-8 1/2" (18-22 cm). The adult make is a dark steel-blue. Females and Juveniles are duller, with grey underparts. Similar in shape to the European Starling. It takes 2 years for these birds to attain full adult breeding plumage. This can make it difficult to identify the birds.

The call is tchew-wew, or pew pew.

Distribution

British Columbia, central interior Canada, and Nova Scotia, migrates south to Brazil. Common in the state of São Paulo.

Taxonomy

Habitat

Open woodlands, residential areas, and agricultural land.

Behaviour

These birds catch insects from the air.

Their nest is made of grass and plant material placed in a cavity in a tree and 4-5 white eggs are laid.

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