Purple Martins are the largest members of the swallow family. Their name takes after their bright purple almost iridescent coloring. They can be quite the aerial acrobats with their talents with speed and agility. These fast flyers prefer to eat their food while in flight feeding on insects that pass while in the air. What’s even more unique about these birds is where and what they like to live in, purple martin gourds and plastic purple martin gourds are two of the most popular style living quarters for these bright birds.

The housing market for Purple Martins can be tricky and often the biggest reason why bird lovers fail to attract these birds into their backyards. Martins can be picky and have very specific requirements. Nonetheless they are very dependant on man-made martin houses for their shelter. They enjoy living in an area of their own with no surrounding trees or bushes and ample distance from houses. The most unique home and perhaps the most popular amongst these birds is the gourd.

Before birdhouses were manufactured, Native Americans hollowed out gourds during harvest season and found that the wild birds that loved them the most were the purple martins. Nowadays, a growing number of purple martin landlords are choosing to use plastic purple martin gourds to provide a similar nesting environment. These gourds are most often colored white or off-white, a color proven to not only keep the inside temperature cool, but also to catch a purple martin's attention when it is in search of a colony.

Purple martin gourds should be hung in clusters to encourage the purple martin's natural instinct to colonize. It is suggested that gourds promote more successful reproduction than a home with multiple sections, as they provide ample inner space for fledglings with less chance of them tumbling out of the gourds.

The shape of the purple martin gourds, especially those with built in rain guards, help to protect inhabitants from inclement weather as well as some predators. Like purple martin houses, the gourds are also subject to occupation by starlings, so it is important to monitor your gourds and take necessary precaution. You may even consider purchasing starling resistant purple martin gourds.

Purple martin gourd colonies are best mounted on a pole to versus string or wire. An aluminum pole helps make it impossible for furry predators to reach the nests. Mount your purple martin gourd colony in the most open area of your yard, a minimum of 30 feet from your own home and at least 40 feet from any trees or foliage.