Your birdhouse should be painted white, because Purple Martin’s are attracted to this color, with an entrance hole around two inches in diameter. It is important that the entrance hole is located around a inch and a half from the floor of your birdhouses to allow easy access for the birds.
You will see some Purple Martin birdhouses that have a number of holes or consist of a collection of smaller units, these allow a number of Purple Martin birds to share the same birdhouse but nest separately. When purchasing your first house look for one with about four rooms and then consider buying larger birdhouses once your first one has become established. Purple Martins can grow quite large therefore you birdhouses should have at least seven inches of spaces inside to allow the birds to move around freely once inside.
When locating your birdhouse don’t place it near to tall trees or high vegetation. Purple Martins like open space and unusually seem to like to nest in areas where humans are present, ideally within fifty feet from your home.
Ideally your Purple Martin birdhouse should be mounted on a pole between thirteen to twenty feet high in an area clear of predators and in view of the house or a building. The main predators to a Purple Martin are squirrels, raccoons and snakes. Avoid attaching wires to your birdhouses that would allow them to climb in and consider using baffles on the pole to deter predators from climbing.
If your area has a large population of starlings, it maybe worth buying birdhouses with Starling proof entrances. Starlings will stop the Purple Martins nesting in your box and may even attack the birds.
Purple Martins tend to return to the same birdhouses year after year, so you may need to be patient and wait a while before your first ‘family’ nests there. However once they do you will have Purple Martins nesting there as long as your birdhouses are available for them to visit.
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