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Breeding Range. (Fig. 109). Common in the Turtle Mountains; locally common in the Agassiz Lake Plain Region, and on the Northeastern Drift Plain and Southern Drift Plain; fairly common locally on the Northwestern Drift Plain and Coteau Slope; uncommon and local on the Missouri Coteau; rare and local elsewhere--early summer records from Charlson in McKenzie County and from western Sioux County (less than one mile north of Thunder Hawk, South Dakota where one breeding colony was located).

Breeding Habitat. Most martin colonies occupy "martin" bird houses that are specially constructed and erected for them. These houses are usually located in towns or in farm yards.

In the late 1800's and early 1900's, many colonies were found in woods and were composed of grouped individual pairs that occupied old woodpecker holes or cavities in large dead trees or large dead branches of living trees. Colonies situated in these natural conditions were reported in the Turtle Mountains during 1895 (Judd 1917) and 1901 (Job 1902); at Devils Lake during 1887 (V. Bailey), 1892 (Bryant 1894), 1901 (Bent 1901a), and 1921 (Wood 1923); at Stump Lake in Nelson County during 1902 and 1905 (Bishop egg collection catalog, Peabody Museum) and 1912 (Bailey 1915b); and at Lake Washington in Eddy County during 1902 (Bishop egg collection catalog, Peabody Museum).

Occasionally, breeding colonies occupy other types of structures. Purple Martins nesting under cornices or in crevices of eaves of buildings and observation towers were reported formerly from Grafton (Williams 1926), from Wahpeton in 1915 (V. Bailey and R. Kellogg), from Oakes in 1915 (H. H. Sheldon), and from Devils Lake in 1916 (V. Bailey). During June 15-18, 1916, several pairs at Drayton in Pembina County were nesting in crevices of piers and bridge structures (R. Kellogg).

Nesting. Breeding season: Late April to late August; peak, early May to early July. Extreme dates of active nests (28 colonies): April 29 [1968] in Richland County (RES) to August 24 [1953] in Ward County (R. T. and A. M. Gammell). On the latter date, large, fully fledged young were observed leaving their nest.

During the late 1800's and early 1900's, nest sites in natural situations were recorded as old woodpecker holes or other openings of dead trees, including bur oak, American elm, and balsam poplar. The height above the ground of these natural nest sites ranged from 15 to 30 feet and averaged 19 feet.

Indicated clutch size (6 nests): 5 to 6 eggs; mean, 5.5 eggs.

Figure 109. Breeding Range of Purple Martin.