Enemies of the Purple Martin

Some purple martin enemies compete for nesting sites crutial to martin survival. The English sparrow (also called the house sparrow) and the starling (both imported) are the worst. They do not migrate and will claim nesting cavities before the martins return in the Spring. Nearly all natural nesting cavities are thusly taken and are unavailable to martins. This is why purple martins must use manmade housing to survive as a species.

Others enemies are predators of martin eggs, young and even adults. Some will take a martin in flight. What we can control are the predators that invade the martin nest at night.

Following is a list of the more frequent enemies of the purple martin. Keep in mind that some of the purple martins enemies are also protected by the law. I intend to construct a page for each of these.

• English Sparrow
• Starling
• Owl
• House Wren
• Raccoon
• Snakes

I will some day undertake to address the threat and possible control measures for each one of these natural enemies. For now, let this table suffice.

The Enemy	Nest Sites	Destroy Eggs	Kill Young	Kill Adults	Control
English Sparrow	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Traps, Cleaning
Starling	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Housing, Traps, Cleaning
Owl	No	No	Yes	Yes	Owl Guard
Cooper's Hawk	No	No	Yes	Yes	Owl Guard
Sharp-shinned Hawk	No	No	Yes	Yes	Owl Guard
Raccoon	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Pole Barrier
Snakes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Pole Barrier
House Wren	No	Yes	No	No	none