Species · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Purple Martin

Hirundinidae Aerial insectivoresProgne subis

Purple Martin has declined: down 44% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

-44%Since 1968

2,442Routes

58Years Surveyed

About the Purple Martin

The largest North American swallow, the Purple Martin in the East nests almost entirely in human-supplied colony houses and gourds.

Size: 7.5–8 in long, about 1.8 oz (19–20 cm, 50 g)
Habitat: Open airspace over fields, water and towns; nests in cavities, earthen banks or on structures.
Diet: Flying insects caught high on the wing.
Range: Recorded on 2,442 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 46 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
Family: Hirundinidae · Aerial insectivores
Conservation: Least Concern

Notable Purple Martin Trends

No notable trend signals for Purple Martin. See the full index history below.

Purple Martin Population Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Purple Martin is projected to fall about 24% by 2029 — from 3.9 in 2024 to a central estimate of 3.0 (95% range 1.8–4.1). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±9.1%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

-24%Change by 2029

3.0Projected 2029 index

1.8–4.195% range

±9.1%Backtest error

Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.

Year	Projected index	95% low	95% high
2025	3.1	1.9	4.3
2026	3.1	1.9	4.2
2027	3.0	1.8	4.2
2028	3.0	1.8	4.2
2029	3.0	1.8	4.1

Where the Purple Martin Is Detected

BBS routes recording Purple Martin, sized by most recent count.

Purple Martin Population Trend by State

Purple Martin population trend by state.

Alabama	-51%	1968	108
Arizona	+401%	1970	30
Arkansas	-78%	1969	57
California	-57%	1970	53
Colorado	+15%	1988	25
Connecticut	-22%	1973	12
Delaware	+962%	1968	17
Florida	-9%	1968	117
Georgia	-20%	1968	110
Illinois	-44%	1968	100
Indiana	+38%	1968	64
Iowa	-26%	1969	35
Kansas	+61%	1969	48
Kentucky	+73%	1968	63
Louisiana	-25%	1969	100
Maine	-60%	1973	22
Maryland	+79%	1968	71
Massachusetts	13×	1975	11
Michigan	-92%	1968	82
Minnesota	-83%	1969	68
Mississippi	-55%	1968	69
Missouri	+118%	1969	93
Montana	insufficient data	n/a	3
Nebraska	+1%	1969	27
New Hampshire	-57%	1968	7
New Jersey	-58%	1968	39
New Mexico	-65%	1970	21
New York	-70%	1968	66
North Carolina	-15%	1968	96
North Dakota	+241%	1969	31
Ohio	-27%	1968	80
Oklahoma	-31%	1969	58
Oregon	+228%	1973	24
Pennsylvania	-58%	1968	107
Rhode Island	-6%	1968	3
South Carolina	-59%	1968	50
South Dakota	-52%	1969	13
Tennessee	+50%	1968	52
Texas	+8%	1969	184
Utah	-63%	1973	16
Vermont	-71%	1969	8
Virginia	-43%	1968	65
Washington	+74%	1982	14
West Virginia	-66%	1968	37
Wisconsin	-89%	1968	84
Wyoming	insufficient data	n/a	2

Purple Martin Population Trend by Region

Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.

Purple Martin population trend by Bird Conservation Region.

Northern Pacific Rainforest	-13%	1970	50
Great Basin	-45%	1982	12
Northern Rockies	-44%	1998	5
Prairie Potholes	-34%	1969	74
Boreal Hardwood Transition	-98%	1968	83
Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain	-31%	1968	71
Atlantic Northern Forest	-79%	1968	38
Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau	-45%	1970	51
Shortgrass Prairie	-80%	1977	13
Central Mixed Grass Prairie	-11%	1969	77
Edwards Plateau	+391%	1971	20
Oaks and Prairies	+66%	1969	74
Eastern Tallgrass Prairie	-27%	1968	259
Prairie Hardwood Transition	-72%	1968	143
Central Hardwoods	+108%	1968	164
West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas	-61%	1969	105
Mississippi Alluvial Valley	+18%	1968	70
Southeastern Coastal Plain	-24%	1968	340
Appalachian Mountains	-64%	1968	272
Piedmont	-36%	1968	167
New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast	+94%	1968	130
Peninsular Florida	+39%	1968	72
Coastal California	+14%	1971	29
Sonoran and Mojave Deserts	-92%	1977	6
Sierra Madre Occidental	+170%	1970	24
Chihuahuan Desert	-11%	1979	10
Tamaulipan Brushlands	+142%	1969	24
Gulf Coastal Prairie	+53%	1969	48

Purple Martin Conservation Status

Least Concern

The IUCN Red List rates this species as Least Concern. Our route-weighted index shows it down about 44% since 1968. Aerial insectivores have fallen sharply across the continent, a decline widely linked to dwindling insect prey.

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.