Purple martin
The purple martin (Progne subis) 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 refraction 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. Being migratory, their breeding range extends from central Alberta down through the eastern United States. Subspecies breed in Baja California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Most make a brief stopover in the Yucatán Peninsula or Cuba during pre-breeding migration to North America and during post-breeding migration before reaching their overwintering site in South America. They are known for their speed, agility, and their characteristic mix of rapid, flapping, and gliding flight patterns. When approaching their nesting site, they will dive from the sky at great speeds with their wings tucked, just like the peregrine falcon does when hunting smaller birds. Taxonomy In 1750 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the purple martin in the third volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The Great American Martin". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a preserved specimen that had been brought to London from the Hudson Bay area of Canada by James Isham. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the purple martin with swallows and swifts in the genus Hirundo. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Hirundo subis and cited Edwards' work. The purple martin is now placed in the genus Progne that was introduced in 1826 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie. The genus name Progne is from Greek mythology. Progne or Procne (Πρόκνη), the daughter of King Pandion of Athens and wife of King Tereus of Thrace was transformed into a swallow. The specific epithet subis is Latin for a bird mentioned by the Roman author Nigidius Figulus that could break eagles' eggs. It may have been applied to this species because of its aggression toward birds of prey when it is nesting. Three subspecies are recognised: P. s. subis (Linnaeus, 1758) – nominate form, south Canada, east USA, and east Mexico. Winters through South America east of the Andes P. s. hesperia Brewster, 1889 – southwest USA and northwest Mexico. Perhaps winters in South America. P. s. arboricola Behle, 1968 – west USA and north Mexico. Perhaps winters in South America. Description With an average length of and a wingspan of up to , the purple martin is the largest amongst the 90 odd species in the family Hirundinidae. Measurement ranges: Length: Weight: Wingspan: Purple martins are sexually dimorphic. Adult males are entirely black with a glossy steel blue sheen, the only swallow in North America with such coloration. Adult females are dark on top with some steel blue sheen, and lighter underparts.