This is Brodie with Illinois Extension and I’m here with a new “voice of the wild”

Long before bluebird boxes were all the rage, people were hanging hollow gourds around their homes to attract these bubbly-sounding birds. That tradition is probably rooted very deeply in the pre-colonial era, though exactly when Native Americans started the practice is a mystery. In any case it continues to today, and in the east its quite rare to see this big swallow nesting in anything other than a little home built just for them. This is the purple martin.

In flight, the martin’s tapered angular wings might be mistaken for those of a European starling –but observe the tail; a Martin’s presents a flat edge when spread and when eased even a little shows a slight fork; suggesting almost the tail of a fish. The starling’s is rounded when spread and unforked when relaxed. The martin’s song is quite rich for a swallow. It usually sounds fluid and bubbly and may be interspersed with gurgles and the occasional click. Here’s the purple martin again.

Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW