Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Purple Martins (Progne subis) gather at sunset over Shadow Creek Ranch Town Center, in Pearland, TX, USA. Tens of thousands -- if not hundreds of thousands -- of the birds swirl in the sky. Hundreds of European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) also congregate and sing on utility lines below. As it gets darker, the Starlings head for some small trees to roost. Purple Martins continue to swirl around for a while in relative silence, but they eventually head towards the trees to roost with the Starlings and a few Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus).
These large congregations of Purple Martins occur at this time of the year (late summer) as they prepare to head south. (They arrive in the spring and raise their young here, feeding on a summer bounty of Dragonflies and other insects.)
0:00 Purple Martins swirl in the sky
0:44 Martins fly past perched Starlings
0:54 Martins continue to swirl
1:23 A closer view of birds in flight
1:38 Starlings fly off to roost (and it gets quiet)
2:00 Martins continue to swirl (in relative silence)
2:37 Birds swirl over small trees in the distance
3:09 Birds roost in small trees
Purple Martins (Progne subis) gather at sunset over Shadow Creek Ranch Town Center, in Pearland, TX, USA. Tens of thousands -- if not hundreds of thousands -- of the birds swirl in the sky. Hundreds of European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) also congregate and sing on utility lines below. As it gets darker, the Starlings head for some small trees to roost. Purple Martins continue to swirl around for a while in relative silence, but they eventually head towards the trees to roost with the Starlings and a few Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus).
These large congregations of Purple Martins occur at this time of the year (late summer) as they prepare to head south. (They arrive in the spring and raise their young here, feeding on a summer bounty of Dragonflies and other insects.)
0:00 Purple Martins swirl in the sky
0:44 Martins fly past perched Starlings
0:54 Martins continue to swirl
1:23 A closer view of birds in flight
1:38 Starlings fly off to roost (and it gets quiet)
2:00 Martins continue to swirl (in relative silence)
2:37 Birds swirl over small trees in the distance
3:09 Birds roost in small trees
