Reproduction

[DelmaWhisenhunt]

Question has arisen. Usually do they pair up male and female ? Or does the male claim several females ? Do they trifle on each other ?

[ToyinPA]

They pair up & males help to fed & fledge the chicks. However males will gang rape a female, even if she has a mate.

Toy in PA

[deancamp]

It is very entertaining to watch the males court the females trying to draw them back to the gourd or nest cavity that they have chosen. Right now I have more males than females , so the males are competing with each other for the attention of the females.

[Robert]

Delma the male and female will pair up raise their young and defend their nest for the season . However having said that it is common for the male’s to breed with more than one female by doing this it helps to spread the gene pool around , I hope this helps to answer your question.

[DelmaWhisenhunt]

Thanks for the information you shared. Helps to better understand the behavior of the Martins. Maybe I have become more observant, but noticing the war behavior. Mostly among the Martin family, but toward the sparrows and blue birds. Almost afraid to mention Starlings. Thus far I have not seen one big starling, usually they are the first trouble makers to arrive. The weather is super this week and I am really enjoying the super performance of our Martin friends.