If you see black and purple birds flitting about your yard this spring, you may be witnessing the return of purple martins to Michigan.
Purple martins arrived in Michigan on March 31, sighted in Vicksburg in southwest Michigan, according to the Purple Martin Conservation Association. The bird species makes the trek northward as part of its annual spring migration.
However, the long-term fate of purple martins in Michigan is at risk, with the Breeding Bird Survey reporting a steep population decline in the state since 1966, according to the Michigan Audubon Society. Building a birdhouse for purple martins to nest, avoiding pesticides and monitoring invasive bird species can prove key in stimulating population growth, the society recommends…