WhenToBird

Purple Martin · Progne subis

When Do Purple Martins Arrive in New Mexico?

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

Purple Martins arrive in New Mexico in early May, peak in mid July (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakJul 15-21mid July
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: mid July. First arrivals early May; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 1.0% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

Purple Martins in New Mexico, species by species

SpeciesFirst arrivalsCommon byPeakMost gone byPeak %
Purple MartinMay 1-7May 1-7Jul 15-21Aug 8-141.0%
0%0.5%1%1.5%Purple MartinJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
  • Purple Martin
Share of complete checklists reporting each species, by week (4 per month). Gaps: fewer than 10 checklists that week.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in New Mexico 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.

Where in New Mexico

Best counties for Purple Martin

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cibola CountyBest late July · 97 checklists that week, 3,986 in all33%
  2. Catron CountyBest the second week of July · 147 checklists that week, 6,114 in all17%
  3. McKinley CountyBest early June · 53 checklists that week, 2,545 in all7.4%
  4. Curry CountyBest early June · 53 checklists that week, 2,926 in all7.1%
  5. Lea CountyBest early June · 32 checklists that week, 2,698 in all6.7%
  6. Grant CountyBest mid July · 312 checklists that week, 16,662 in all5.1%

Common questions

When do purple martins arrive in New Mexico?
Purple Martins arrive in New Mexico in early May, peak in mid July (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do purple martins leave New Mexico?
Most Purple Martins have left New Mexico by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see purple martins in New Mexico?
The Purple Martin is reported most often in mid July, on about 1.0% of New Mexico checklists.