The Relationship of Purple Martins to Mosquito Control

Recently, articles and advertisements have appeared in newspapers and publications throughout the United States urging the public to erect birdhouses in order to establish colonies of Purple Martins (Progne subis). The publicity proclaims that a martin consumes 2,000 mosquitoes per day, and either states or implies that martins provide effective biological control of mosquitoes. This is somewhat reminiscent of a controversy raised many years ago over the use of bats as mosquito control agents (see Allen, 1939; Storer, 1926). This paper reviews the scientific literature regarding the diet and feeding behavior of the Purple Martin, in order to ascertain what, if any, role martins play in the control of mosquito populations.