Purple Martin
Progne subis
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 20,940
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The purple martin is a passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae. It is the largest swallow in North America. Despite its name, the purple martin is not truly purple. The dark blackish-blue feathers have an iridescent sheen caused by the diffraction of incident light giving them a bright blue to navy blue or deep purple appearance. In some light, they may even appear green in color.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Purple martin”.