WhenToBird

Progne subis · Hirundinidae

When Do Purple Martins Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Purple Martins reach North Carolina in the second week of March, are common by early April, peak in early July (12% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakJul 1-7early July
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: early July. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 12% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  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%Jan 1-7: 0% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.9% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.9% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.3% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.4% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.9% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.5% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.2% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.9% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.8% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.8% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.8% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.8% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.2% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.6% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.8% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Currituck CountyBest mid July · 154 checklists that week, 8,172 in all50%
  2. Chowan CountyBest the second week of July · 44 checklists that week, 2,544 in all50%
  3. Gates CountyBest the second week of July · 69 checklists that week, 4,066 in all49%
  4. Dare CountyBest mid July · 1008 checklists that week, 83,121 in all43%
  5. Bertie CountyBest the second week of August · 14 checklists that week, 1,408 in all41%
  6. Lenoir CountyBest the second week of May · 59 checklists that week, 2,189 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. North Carolina State University Agricultural Research Land (Tysonville)Wake County, best late May · 67 checklists that week, 3,219 in all98%
  2. Lake Townsend MarinaGuilford County, best the second week of April · 27 checklists that week, 558 in all94%
  3. Lake HigginsGuilford County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 277 in all94%
  4. Alligator River National Wildlife RefugeDare County, best the second week of June · 24 checklists that week, 1,121 in all89%
  5. Lake Brandt Marina/OfficesGuilford County, best the second week of April · 22 checklists that week, 784 in all89%
  6. Clark LakeDurham County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 788 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Purple Martin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.4% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 9.0% of 50335 checklists7 am: 4.2% of 150152 checklists8 am: 3.7% of 182902 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 158933 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 128398 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 5.6% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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%0%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.8%1.6%2.9%3.9%
April4.9%5.3%5.4%5.9%
May6.5%6.6%8.2%8.9%
June8.8%8.8%9.8%12%
July12%12%11%11%
August8.8%6.2%3.6%1.8%
September0.6%0.4%0.2%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of April, 4 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Purple Martins arrive in North Carolina?
Purple Martins reach North Carolina in the second week of March, are common by early April, peak in early July (12% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Purple Martins leave North Carolina?
Most Purple Martins have left North Carolina by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early September.
When is the best time to see a Purple Martin in North Carolina?
The Purple Martin is reported most often in early July, on about 12% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Purple Martins seen most often?
By county, Currituck County, Chowan County, and Gates County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Martin (counties with at least 200 checklists).