A Beginners Guide to Purple Martins and their Diet
If youre looking for a unique bird to attract to your yard, you might want to consider the purple martin. These birds are known for their stunning aerial displays as they catch flying insects while soaring through the air.
In this article, well discuss their diet, feeding habits, and tips for attracting them to your yard.
Purple Martin Diet
As mentioned earlier, purple martins are insectivorous birds. The primary source of their diet is flying insects.
They have a particular preference for fly insects such as moths, wasps, winged ants, bees, and dragonflies. Other than fly insects, they also feed on beetles, butterflies, and ants.
Feeding Habits
Purple martins are unique in their feeding habits. They are one of the few species of birds that feed on the wing.
This means they catch their prey while flying, which requires a tremendous amount of energy and skill. They typically feed at high altitudes, riding the thermals to conserve energy.
They are mostly active during the daylight hours, especially during the breeding season.
Winter and Summer Diets
In the summer, purple martins reside in North America. They primarily feed on flying insects, which is why they prefer to nest near open fields and bodies of water rich in insects.
However, the migration patterns of flying insects change during the fall and winter, making it a challenge for purple martins to find a consistent food source. During the wintertime, they usually migrate to South America in search of flying insects, which subsists on their diet.
Baby Purple Martins Diet
Just like human babies that require a proper diet for growth and development, baby purple martins also need a high-protein diet to thrive. The young birds require an average of 60 insects per day to develop and grow properly.
Feeding Purple Martins
Attracting Them to Your Yard
If you want to attract purple martins to your yard, you need to provide a steady supply of food. To get started, you can place a purple martin house in your yard, along with an ample supply of flying insects.
You can also place a feeder near the nesting site and fill it with dead crickets or mealworms.
Difficulty of Attracting Them
It’s worth noting that purple martins are one of the hardest birds to attract. They have been found to eat dead crickets, but live crickets tend to be their favorite food source.
However, in some cases, they can be trained to eat dead crickets instead of live ones, making it easier for homeowners to attract them.
Ground Feeding
Purple martins are extremely rare when it comes to ground feeding. They are happy to eat on the wing; its the way nature intended them to feed.
As such, you should avoid serving your purple martins on the ground as this could attract predators.
Conclusion
In conclusion, purple martins are unique birds that require a high-protein diet for growth and development. They are aerial feeders that primarily catch flying insects while soaring through the air.
If youre looking to attract purple martins to your yard, you should begin by providing a steady supply of food, preferably mealworms or live crickets. While they may be challenging to attract, with patience and the right strategies, you can enjoy these beautiful birds in your yard.
FAQ: More on
Purple Martin Diet
Purple Martins are insectivorous birds with unique dietary needs. In this article, we will explore some frequently asked questions about their diet, what they eat, what they don’t eat, and their drinking habits.
What Do Purple Martins Eat? Purple Martins are aerial insectivores that primarily feed on flying insects.
They are experts at catching mosquitoes, wasps, house flies, crickets, bees, butterflies, Japanese beetles, and cicadas.
In North America, they nest in areas that have high concentrations of insects, making it easier for them to find a steady supply of food.
They are active feeders during the day, often seen soaring through the skies in search of their next meal. What Don’t Purple Martins Eat?
Purple Martins do not eat seeds or birdseed. They are purely insectivores, and their digestive systems are not equipped to break down seeds or grains.
So, if you’re planning on attracting purple martins to your yard, you’ll need to provide a steady supply of insects rather than birdseed.
Drinking Habits of Purple Martins
Unlike other birds that drink water regularly, purple Martins only occasionally drink water. This is because the food they eat contains enough fluid to keep them hydrated.
Insects that purple Martins feed on are rich in fluids, providing adequate hydration for the birds. However, when there is no other source of water available, they will drink from freshwater sources such as lakes, rivers, and birdbaths.
Additionally, in the case of low-insect activity or drought, purple Martins get moisture needs met from insects they eat. Some insects, such as aphids, have a watery fluid that purple Martins can collect without the need for drinking extra water.
Fluid from Insects
The fluid from insects is essential to purple martins, especially when there is no source of water nearby. Insects such as caterpillars, beetles, and spiders, have blood-like fluids that the birds collect using their beaks.
This fluid is rich in nutrients, and it hydrates them, enabling them to survive during periods of drought.
In Summary
Purple Martins are highly unique birds that depend heavily on flying insects for their diet. They don’t consume seeds or birdseed.
Instead, they prefer insects such as crickets, cicadas, and wasps. As aerial feeders, they often soar at high altitudes to catch their prey.
They occasionally drink water but primarily obtain water by consuming fluids from the insects they feed on. In conclusion, understanding the diet and feeding habits of purple martins is essential for attracting and caring for these unique birds.
They primarily feed on flying insects, require a high-protein diet, and drink water by consuming fluids from the insects they eat. Common questions about their diet have been addressed in this article’s FAQs, including what they eat and don’t eat and their drinking habits.
By following the tips and information in this article, you can successfully attract and provide for purple martins in your yard while enjoying their stunning aerial displays.
FAQs:
– What do purple martins eat?
They prefer to eat flying insects, such as crickets and wasps. – What don’t purple martins eat?
They do not eat seeds or birdseed. – What are purple martin’s drinking habits?
They occasionally drink water, but primarily hydrate themselves by consuming fluids from insects they eat.