Wonder why your neighbor is hanging gourds up? Or why there appears to be an undulating donut on the weather radar? The answer to both is the purple martin. The largest swallow in North America, male ...

Purple martins, members of the swallow family, are native songbirds. East of the Rocky Mountains, they now rely entirely on human-provided housing. In late summer, they gather in massive flocks — ...

A hawk or an eagle had been circling overhead earlier, so Tom Fiorini wasn’t sure the purple martins would be hanging around Thursday morning as he led a couple of visitors to the birds’ new dwelling ...

For decades, Austinites have flocked to the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, drawn by the insistent pull of a predictable spectacle: the nightly emergence of bats. Now, a new, equally ...

A once-common bird species has found a new home in the Lehigh Valley, establishing a thriving colony at St. Luke’s Hospital-Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township. Purple martins, which migrate ...

Purple Martins are North America’s largest swallow. They are aerial insectivores, meaning they feed on insects while flying, and they play a critical role in helping control bug populations.

Two purple martins look for space on a tree branch Wednesday as thousands of the birds land near 42nd and Farnam Streets. A bird’s flight is illuminated by the moon. The peak of the purple martin ...

Purple martins are gorgeous backyard birds, known for their iridescent feathers and mid-sky acrobatics. As North America’s largest swallows, they are integral to the ecosystem, consuming thousands of ...

Photo courtesy of Shawn Wyble The welcoming sign at the entrance to the Millers' farm. Photo courtesy of Shawn Wyble Now that's what I call a bird-friendly neighborhood! Mr. Miller's farm boasts over ...

Harrison resident Ken Kostka has worked for years to revitalize the region’s colony of purple martins — the species of bird that vanished from Western Pennsylvania after Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972.

Inside an artificial gourd hanging from an aluminum rack, a female purple martin sits on her eggs while her mate perches in the doorway to their human-made home in Erie. Meanwhile, 35 people watch.

The Purple Martin Conservation Association's nestcam livestreams a purple martin nest in Erie, Pennsylvania. The PMCA uses the nestcam to raise awareness about the birds and their conservation efforts ...