Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
just above where the prairie-chickens had been dancing. Do prairie-chickens have
lice or were they stirring up bugs that the swallows were feeding on?
A
The swallows were picking uplittle feathers that hadgotten stuck inthe prairie grasses
while the prairie-chickens were preening, displaying, and fighting. Swallows line their
nests with feathers, and after they've discovered that grassland grouse and prairie-chick-
ensleavealotofdownfeathersaftertheirmorningactivities, theswallowsmakeitareg-
ular practice to check out the area every morning as the chickens leave.
Q Are any martin houses guaranteed to attract Purple Martins?
A
No. Purple Martins are declining over much of their range, making it difficult for
people to attract them to a new nest site. You'll increase the likelihood of success by fol-
lowing recommendations from the Purple Martin Conservation Society. If you do set out
amartin house,please make suretoevict anyHouseSparrowsbefore they complete their
nests. Do this by tossing out nest materials and closing the holes until martins appear.
House Sparrows are a serious competitor with Purple Martins and are one of the major
reasons for Purple Martin declines.
Purple Martin houses built as “apartment buildings” should not have ledges that con-
nect one apartment to another.Ifa chick from one chamber wanders out and into the next
apartment, its parents won't follow it there for feedings. Meanwhile, the parents nesting
in that chamber may end up feeding the wanderer rather than their own nestlings if the
wanderer is larger and appears hungrier. There are overall higher mortality rates in these
kinds of martin boxes than in ones with dividers completely separating chambers, or in
gourds.