How to distinguish Purple Martins from Swallows and Swifts

[Mary Dawnsong]

Purple Martins have become so uncommon in much of the northern US that many folks don't know how to recognize them. One of the biggest mistakes a new Purple Martin landlord hopeful can make is to misidentify Tree Swallows as martins and allow them to occupy the martin house. If you never get more than one pair of "martins" in your martin house -or- if your "martins" use feathers in their nests, then be sure to read the following carefully.

Purple Martins are fairly large birds, roughly the size of starlings and almost as big as robins in flight. A martin tail is fan-shaped when completely spread, but looks like a shallow V when they are perching or when flying with it not completely spread. Martins like to hunt much higher than the other swallows, but they will glide just a few inches over a pond or field if that's where the insects are! Six other species of birds are often confused with martins in flight. This page has drawings of each of these species:
http://www.neun.com/martin/description.shtml

Here are pictures of martins:
http://home.earthlink.net/~chuckabare/martins.htm (scroll down)
http://www.avesphoto.com/website/NA/spe ... RPUR-1.htm
http://www.purplemartin.org/MartinID/martinid.html
http://www.purplemartin.org/main/Vocalization.html

Purple Martins are our largest swallow, but we have up to 5 other species of swallows which are very easily confused with martins: Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Cliff Swallows, Bank Swallows, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows. These swallows are all about 60% the size of martins.
This page has wonderful photos of most of these swallows:
http://www.pbase.com/lilwings/swallows

Tree Swallows are the only swallow/swift that will nest in martin housing. For info on why Tree Swallows should not be allowed to occupy a martin house, see http://www.michiganmartins.com/forum/vi ... .php?t=313
Tree Swallows have a much whiter breast than any martins do - female and young martins have a light breast, but it is much dirtier looking than that of Tree Swallows. The backs of Tree Swallows is an irridescent blue/green except for young birds which have a brown back. Tree Swallows build beautiful nests and the nest cup is always lined with feathers. Purple Martins do not use feathers in their nests.
Here are photos of Tree Swallows:
http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/treeswallow.htm
http://www.pbase.com/lilwings/swallows

Barn Swallows are very common and you almost certainly see them. They are the bird most likely to "follow the lawn mower". Many, many people in Michigan mistakenly identify Barn Swallows as Purple Martins and in the south Barnies are called "mud martins". Barnies have a steely irridescent blue back that may look purple to some folks, but their underside is buffy orange and they have white spots on the underside of their tail. Their tail is extremely forked - the deepest "V" of all swallows. Barnies will NOT build a nest in a martin house; instead, they build mud shelf nests in barns, porches, and under the roof overhang of houses. On Michigan lakes they love to build their mud nest under boat canopies and even between the pontoons of boats, just inches above the water. Here are photos of Barn Swallows:
http://www.birdcrossstitch.com/cards/BarnSwallow.html
http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/per/b4.htm
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nsbirds/bns0261.htm
http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/barnswallow.htm
http://www.avesphoto.com/website/NA/spe ... LBRN-1.htm

Bank Swallows:
http://www.avesphoto.com/website/NA/spe ... LBNK-1.htm
http://www.avesphoto.com/website/NA/spe ... LBNK-2.htm
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nsbirds/bns0258.htm
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/ifwis/ ... wallow.jpg
http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.r ... kswal.html
http://www.menunkatuck.org/pages/bank_swallows.htm

It is very easy to find photos and info on the other swallow species - just ask google!

The other bird often confused with martins is the Chimney Swift, which is a dark colored bird. Swifts are called "flying cigars" because of their short, stubby tail. Swifts are about 60% the size of martins and their wings often beat with much faster, fluttery strokes - kind of like bats. Swifts usually fly in groups, hunting together. They chatter constantly as they hunt. Swifts are the birds that NEVER stop flying, that NEVER land while you watch them. Swifts are not a perching bird and their closest relative in North America is the hummingbird. Many people have reported that Chimney Swifts are attracted to the Purple Martin dawnsong recording -but- they never land on martin housing.

Chimney Swift photos:
http://birds.cornell.edu/BOW/CHISWI/
http://www.avesphoto.com/website/NA/spe ... FCHM-1.htm
http://www.chimneyswifts.org/ (don't miss the Chimney Swift nest cam!)