WhenToBird

Progne subis · Hirundinidae

When Do Purple Martins Arrive in Alabama?

Adult female Purple Martin
Photo: Ron Bondy, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Purple Martins reach Alabama in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in mid June (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakJun 15-21mid June
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: mid June. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 17% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.4% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.7% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.3% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.3% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.3% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 15% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.6% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.4% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.7% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.0% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 9158 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Alabama that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Geneva CountyBest late May · 98 checklists that week, 3,203 in all81%
  2. Marengo CountyBest the second week of May · 58 checklists that week, 2,453 in all50%
  3. Washington CountyBest late July · 14 checklists that week, 237 in all41%
  4. Sumter CountyBest early July · 49 checklists that week, 782 in all38%
  5. Morgan CountyBest early July · 46 checklists that week, 6,256 in all36%
  6. Lowndes CountyBest late May · 10 checklists that week, 1,094 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Limestone ParkShelby County, best late May · 149 checklists that week, 3,008 in all91%
  2. Village PointBaldwin County, best mid June · 34 checklists that week, 3,600 in all80%
  3. 5 Rivers Delta Resource CenterBaldwin County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 1,050 in all72%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Purple Martin is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (7.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 8.4% of 26677 checklists7 am: 7.0% of 42599 checklists8 am: 6.0% of 39919 checklists9 am: 5.6% of 34699 checklists10 am: 5.0% of 28551 checklists11 am: 4.6% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 4.2% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 4.1% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 3.9% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 4.8% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 5.3% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 6.8% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 8.6% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0%0%0.1%0.2%
February0.9%1.7%2.4%4.7%
March7.3%8.3%9.3%11%
April11%12%10%11%
May11%12%13%15%
June15%17%17%16%
July15%12%11%7.6%
August4.4%3.7%2.1%2.0%
September2.0%1.3%1.2%0.3%
October0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Alabama
  • Georgia: arrives mid February, 1 week later than Alabama
  • Tennessee: arrives early March, 3 weeks later than Alabama
  • Louisiana: arrives early February, 1 week earlier than Alabama

Common questions

When do Purple Martins arrive in Alabama?
Purple Martins reach Alabama in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in mid June (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Purple Martins leave Alabama?
Most Purple Martins have left Alabama by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Purple Martin in Alabama?
The Purple Martin is reported most often in mid June, on about 17% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Purple Martins seen most often?
By county, Geneva County, Marengo County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Martin (counties with at least 200 checklists).