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green leaves as a trimming. These green leaves are added periodically, although the reason why is not fully understood.
It is thought that these leaves are used to keep the eggs moist during brooding.
In the back of the nest they form a bowl and lay from three to seven soft white eggs. Immature birds usually lay from two to five eggs while the more mature birds usually lay from six to seven.
One thing of note, in the smaller cavities, martins often use mud to make a dam just inside the entrance hole. It is not readily known why they build these mud dams, but it is thought they might be for protection, either from enemies or to keep the elements out. These mud dams are usually not present in larger cavities where there is ample room.
Incubation lasts from 15 to 17 days, with the female doing most if not all the work. The young are horn without feathers and take about 28 days to < fledge, or leave the nest. The young may return to the nest for a few nights, after w’hich they will start spending their time with the adults. The adults will continue to feed the young until they have acquired enough skill to catch their own food.
The mature male martin is a beautiful bird, easily recognizable, fully cloaked in black feathers. His hack, neck and chest feathers have a steel blue iridescence, which can look purple when sitting in the proper light. The tail and wing feathers are duller in coloring and do not have this iridescence. Only the mature males have all black feathers over their entire bodies.
The females do not have entire bodies of black and never attain this solid black look. Instead, they are much
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