The Amazing Flight, and Plight, of the Purple Martin

Wild Lands Advocate “Conservation Corner” article, April 2015, by Niki Wilson

There’s something about purple martins that captures the imagination of wildlife lovers, making them one of the most loved neo-tropical migrants to breed in Alberta. They have the Tie-fighter-like deftness of a swallow and the social affability of a raven. The males are handsome – their purple-black-blue sheen flashing in the light.