Purple Martin in July
Where purple martins are in July, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
July in the Purple Martin's year
July is the quietest month for bird song but one of the busiest for bird life. Many species are on second broods, young birds from first broods are independent, and natural food — insects, ripening fruit and seeds — is abundant. In the far South the first southbound shorebirds are already moving.
For the Purple Martin specifically, July is a summer month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 47 states and provinces where purple martins occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where purple martins are in July
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- summer breeder
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In July, purple martins are absent in the South, summer breeder across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.
Nesting in July
July is inside the Purple Martin nesting season — about a month earlier in the South and a month later in the North. Nest: in the east, nests almost entirely in human-supplied martin houses and gourds. Clutch 3–6 eggs, incubation 15–18 days, 1 per season.
The southern nesting season has already wound down, but northern pairs are still raising young — the whole season shifts later as you go north. During the nesting months, adults switch to protein-rich foods for their young, become more secretive around the nest site, and often visit feeders in quick, purposeful trips rather than lingering.
What to feed in July
- Dragonflies, flies, beetles and moths
- Flying ants and wasps
Purple Martins do not use feeders. Supporting them means supplying correctly built colony housing in the open and managing House Sparrows and starlings.
Feeder traffic often dips as natural food peaks, but water becomes the big draw — a clean birdbath outpulls seed in hot weather.
Watching purple martins this month
In July, the best watching is around food rather than the nest — adults make repeated foraging trips and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Give nesting birds space: if a bird is carrying food or scolding you persistently, you're close to a nest and should back off.
If you have a Purple Martin box up, watch from a distance for comings and goings — steady traffic means an active nest — the box guide below has the exact hole size and mounting height this species needs.
Purple Martin month by month
Purple Martin by state
Frequently asked
Where are purple martins in July?
In July, purple martins are absent in the South, summer breeder across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do purple martins nest in July?
Yes — July falls inside the Purple Martin nesting season at mid-latitudes (a month earlier in the South).
What do purple martins eat in July?
Dragonflies, flies, beetles and moths; Flying ants and wasps.
Sources
- Purple Martin — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Purple Martin life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Purple Martin — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- Purple Martin Conservation Association — housing guidelines
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.