Palm Beach County Mayor Gregg Weiss. Audubon Everglades and local firefighters will join together to proclaim May “Purple Martin Awareness Month” in Palm Beach County.
A public ceremony will be held Saturday. May 6 at 10 a.m. at Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Station 27, located at 3411 South Shore Blvd. in Wellington.
Purple Martins are beautiful native songbirds and the largest swallows in North America. They are neotropical long-distance migrants that live in colonies and return each year from South America to breed in Palm Beach County.
Purple Martins have a unique relationship with humans as they nest exclusively in man-made housing. If humans stopped supplying suitable breeding habitats. they would likely disappear as a breeding bird in the eastern United States. Palm Beach County is a vital breeding ground for Purple Martins from January to July. It is estimated that North America lost 4.3 million Purple Martins, amounting to one third of the population, over the last 50 years, and researchers found that targeted conservation efforts make a difference.
Audubon Everglades plays a critical role in ensuring the survival of Purple Martins by elevating public awareness and fostering community partnerships. Audubon Everglades has joined forces with Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Stations 25 and 27, the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department, Lion Country Safari, the Okeeheelee Nature Center, the Green Cay Nature Center, the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, the Wellington Environmental Preserve, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Riverbend Park, the Daggerwing Nature Center and Epiphany Lutheran Church.
