The first purple martins of the year have been spotted in Kansas.
The birds were seen on Feb. 26 in Harper by a purple martin enthusiast, one of many who track and report on the birds’ annual migration on behalf of the Purple Martin Conservation Association. The migration can be reported and tracked through a community science project called the Scout-Arrival Study.
"The first purple martin arrivals of the season are always an exciting event,” said Joe Siegrist, president of the Purple Martin Conservation Association.
Purple martins, North America’s largest species of swallow, winter in the rainforests of Brazil before making up to a 7,000-mile migration north into the eastern United States and Canada.
Once widespread in rural America, the purple martin has been disappearing at an alarming rate, experiencing a loss of one-third of its population over the last 50 years.
“The decline seems to be the combination of a few factors: nesting habitat loss, competing invasive species, decreasing prey availability and climate change,” said Siegrist. “Over the majority of the purple martins’ range, they are unable to nest naturally any longer. Human-provided nest boxes are the only thing keeping the species alive east of the Rocky Mountains.”
Siegrist says the survival of the species is due in large part to scores of conservationists who invest their time, money and hearts into maintaining housing for the martins.
To follow along with the purple martins’ migration and learn more about how you can help ensure the future of purple martins, visit www.purplemartin.org.
