In a sign that spring is not far behind, the first purple martins of the year have been spotted in Arkansas.
The birds were seen on Feb. 5 in Wheatley by a purple martin enthusiast -- one of many people throughout the eastern and central United States who track and report on the birds' annual migration on behalf of the Purple Martin Conservation Association.
"The purple martins' arrival in Arkansas shows the birds are making steady progress northward since they first made landfall in Florida two days before Christmas," said Joe Siegrist, president of the Purple Martin Conservation Association. "Tracking the migration is not only fun; it also provides us with valuable information that helps inform our research and strengthen our efforts to make sure we're doing everything possible to sustain the population of these amazing birds."
North America's largest species of swallow, purple martins winter in the rainforests of Brazil before making up to a 7,000-mile migration north into the eastern United States and Canada.
The annual migration is a testament to the martins' resilience as well as the dedication of thousands of "martin landlords" who maintain multi-compartment nest "condos" that are essential for the birds' survival. Once widespread in rural America, this species, that eats billions of flying insects annually, 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."
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Based in Erie, Pa. the Purple Martin Conservation Association is an international tax-exempt, nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the purple martin through scientific research, state of the art wildlife management techniques and public education.