Purple Martins can fly at a speed of 45 mph, without wind, but have been clocked at 60 mph with the warm southerly wind behind them. The aerial antics of the martin have been a source of amazement for those who have observed them in flight.

The average life expectancy is five to seven years, with at least one reported case of a banded bird found near Dallas, Texas that lived 13 years and 9 months. (July 1933 - Spring 1947)

Martins diet almost exclusively on flying insects, but, occasionally eat crushed eggshells when scattered near the nesting area during nesting season. The eggshells provide the necessary calcium for production of the martin eggs. Many believe that one bird can eat as many as 2000 pesky insects including mosquitos per day. The birds are very clean and will take their own fledglings' waste away from the nesting area for disposal.

The purple martin is very friendly to humans, and usually sit and watch people work close to them. Martins can be tame enough to light on the shoulders of persons who have handled them at an early age. Usually, more of them will be present where there is plenty of human activity.