If you have setup your purple martin house, but have been waiting for any activity for the last few months, you may be a bit puzzled and potentially even frustrated. Why do they come and go so quickly?
Purple martin’s are migratory birds. They migrate each year from South America to North America. You will find the birds reaching the southern coast between Texas and Florida as early as January, and may begin moving back south as early as August with most of them leaving the United States by October.
So, if you are within the regular summer months, why is it that you may not be seeing purple martins? Below may help you determine when you may start seeing purple martins in your area. This leads to the question, when will purple martins arrive in my area?
| State | Purple Martins Estimated Date of Arrival |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Southern Alabama (Mobile Area / Along Coast) – Mid-January Montgomery and South of Montgomery – Early February North of Montgomery – Mid-February |
| Alaska | Purple martins do not migrate here. |
| Arizona | Purple martins may come to this area, but often prefer natural habitat. |
| Arkansas | Southern Arkansas (South of Little Rock) – Early February Northern Arkansas (North of Little Rock) – Mid-February Far Northern Arkansas (Eureka Springs) may not see them until early March some years. |
| California | There are only a couple of areas where purple martins migrate to in California and that is generally around Sacramento near Napa Valley and far Northern California along the border to Oregon. Napa Valley – Mid-March Northern California – Early April |
| Colorado | Purple martins may be seen here from time to time, but generally they are in the process of migrating elsewhere. If they do nest in this area, they often prefer natural habitat. |
| Connecticut | Mid-April |
| Delaware | Mid-March |
| Florida | Most of Florida will see purple martins as early as Mid-January. Some of the far northern Florida border to Georgia may see them later into January to early February. |
| Georgia | Southern Georgia (South of Macon) – Early February Central Georgia (Macon to Athens) – Mid-February Northern Georgia (North of Athens) – Early March |
| Hawaii | Purple martins do not migrate here. |
| Idaho | Purple martins are generally not seen here. If they are, they are generally migrating towards the west coast or potentially further north into Canada before nesting. |
| Illinois | Southern Illinois (South of Springfield) – Mid-March Northern Illinois (North of Springfield) – Early April The far northern area near Rockford may not see purple martin’s until Mid-April. |
| Indiana | Southern Indiana (South of Indianapolis) – Mid-March Northern Indian (North of Indianapolis) – Early April |
| Iowa | Southern Iowa (South of Fort Dodge) – Early April Northern Iowa (North of Fort Dodge) – Mid-April |
| Kansas | Only about half of Kansas (primarily the Eastern half) of the state has nesting purple martins. Southeast region – Early March Central-East – Mid-March Far northern areas of Kansas may begin seeing purple martins as late as Early April. |
| Kentucky | Far Southwest region (Mayfield Region) – Mid-February Every other part of state – Early March |
| Louisiana | Southern Louisiana (South of Alexandria) – Mid-January Northern Louisiana (North of Alexandria) – Early February |
| Maine | Along the western side of the state near the border to Vermont may have some nesting purple martins. You may see them as early as Early May. The remainder of the state may have a few purple martins from time to time, but they generally do not nest in this area. |
| Maryland | Maryland may see purple martins as early as Mid-March. |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts may see purple martins as early as Mid-April, but most will not arrive until Late April. |
| Michigan | Southern Michigan (South of Lansing) – Early April Central Michigan (North of Lansing / South of Lake Houghton) – Mid-April Northern Michigan (North of Lake Houghton) – Early May There are some areas of Michigan that may not have any nesting purple martins in the far northern regions. |
| Minnesota | Southern Minnesota (South of Duluth) – Early April Northern Minnesota (North of Duluth) – Mid-April |
| Mississippi | Southern Mississippi (Along Coast) – Mid-January Central Mississippi (South of Jackson) – Early February Northern Mississippi (North of Jackson) – Mid-February |
| Missouri | Most of Missouri will see the first purple martins arriving around Mid-march. The far southwestern corner may see them a couple of weeks earlier and the far northern areas may first see them as late as early April. |
| Montana | Only a few purple martins will migrate into Montana at all. Most are not nesting but making their way further north into Canada before nesting. |
| Nebraska | Purple martins are generally migrating the southern and eastern side of the state. They are generally first seen each year as early as Early March. |
| Nevada | Purple martins may be seen here from time to time, but generally they are in the process of migrating elsewhere and will not nest here. |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire may see purple martins arriving as early as Early May. |
| New Jersey | New Jersey may see purple martins arriving as early as Early April. |
| New Mexico | Purple martins may be seen here from time to time, but generally they are in the process of migrating elsewhere and will not nest here. |
| New York | Western New York – Mid-April Eastern New York – Early May |
| North Carolina | Most of North Carolina may see purple martins as early as Early March. Some of the regions to the Northeast may not see any purple martins until Mid-March. |
| North Dakota | Purple martins will generally only migrate to the eastern side of North Dakota. They may begin arriving as early as Mid-April. |
| Ohio | Southern Ohio (South of Columbus) – Early March Northern Ohio (North of Columbus) – Mid-March |
| Oklahoma | Most of the state will see purple martins arriving as early as Early March. Some of the northwestern area may not see them arriving until Mid-March. |
| Oregon | Only the Western half of Oregon generally have nesting purple martins. You may begin seeing them as early as Early April. |
| Pennsylvania | Southern Pennsylvania (South of Pittsburg) – Early April Northern Pennsylvania (North of Pittsburg) – Mid-April |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island may see purple martins arriving as early as Early April. |
| South Carolina | South Carolina may see purple martins arriving as early as Mid-February. |
| South Dakota | Only the southeastern corner of South Dakota generally receives nesting purple martins. They may begin arriving as early as Early April. |
| Tennessee | Most of Tennessee will begin seeing purple martins arriving as early as Mid-February. There may be some regions towards the northern side of Tennessee that may not see them until Early March. |
| Texas | Along the coast purple martins may begin arriving as early as Mid-January. Most of the state will not begin to see them moving north until Early February. Central Texas – Mid-February Northwestern Texas (Near Amarillo) – Mid-March |
| Utah | Purple martins may be seen here from time to time, but generally they are in the process of migrating elsewhere and will not nest here. |
| Vermont | Northern Vermont – Early April Southern Vermont – Mid-April |
| Virginia | Most of Virginia will begin seeing purple martins as early as Early March. |
| Washington | Only the Western half of the state generally have nesting purple martins. You may begin seeing them as early as Early April. |
| West Virginia | Southwestern West Virginia (Southwest of Sutton) – Early March Northwestern West Virginia (Northwest of Sutton) – Mid-March |
| Wisconsin | Southern Wisconsin (South of Chippewa Falls) – Early April Northern Wisconsin (North of Chippewa Falls) – Mid April |
| Wyoming | Purple martins may be seen here from time to time, but generally they are in the process of migrating elsewhere and will not nest here. |
