TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma is rolling out a welcome mat along Ruston Way for purple martins.
The dark purple and blue birds are North America’s largest swallows and have historically had a thriving colony nest along the shoreline in the spring.
In fall 2024, many of the boxes and gourds the birds called home had to be taken down. That’s because they were attached to decrepit wooden pilings that were being removed by the state.
It’s unknown how many birds were displaced, but community monitors counted 34 adult birds there.
This month, staff from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium relocated 16 nest boxes to a berm south of Chinese Reconciliation Park and are starting to rebuild the purple martin colony there.
“We’re hoping the offer of waterfront homes will lure some of the experienced birds back to Ruston Way and they’ll set up shop there,” said zoo conservation coordinator Zach Hawn.
Purple martins are native birds that migrate back to Washington and other areas of the West Coast, usually arriving from Brazil in early April and departing by late August.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) lists purple martins as a ‘Species of Greatest Conservation Need’ due to their low population in the state and vulnerable nesting sites. The designation means human intervention is necessary for the birds to succeed.
WDFW is planning a statewide comprehensive survey this year to gain a better idea of the purple martin population. Conservative estimates are that there are 600 adult purple martins in Washington, and that Tacoma could have as much as 16% of the state’s population.
The purple martins’ population started to decline in the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s when forestry operations removed large amounts of timber that housed natural cavities traditionally used by the birds as nests.
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium launched a community monitoring program in 2013. Volunteers are trained to collect data about the local purple martins and their breeding behaviors, which include carrying food into the nests or flying fecal sacks out.