Purple Martins Return to Nashville

Known for its lush and diverse parks and green spaces, Nashville attracts migrating, nesting and overwintering birds each year. Since 2003, purple martins have formed a large migration night roost in or near downtown Nashville, where they gather before making the long journey to South America for the winter. In 2020,  the Nashville purple martins made national headlines when approximately 150,000 of the birds roosted next to the Nashville Symphony Schermerhorn Center and major media outlets from The Tennessean to The New York Times covered the story. 

Find current roost locations for observing purple martins in Nashville. 

This year, the purple martins are roosting in trees near the Titan’s Nissan Stadium, as well as at 3rd and Church Street in Nashville. It is too early in the migration season to know if the roosts will remain in these two areas.

“Purple Martins choosing Nashville as their home during the roosting season underscores the importance of conserving spaces for these remarkable birds," says Laurel Creech, The Nature Conservancy's state director in Tennessee." Since the spring of 2023, the Nashville Urban Bird Treaty has been educating the public on how and why to create a welcoming habitat for purple martins. We encourage everyone to enjoy birds in their backyard, a local park or downtown near a roost.” 

Purple martins can be seen at dusk foraging for food high above the city before spiraling down into their roost as darkness falls. The number of purple martins at the roost will likely continue to increase through early August, with birds remaining into September.

Volunteer to conserve purple martins.

Members of the community are invited to join in protecting and celebrating these remarkable birds. Whether you are a bird enthusiast or simply curious, your involvement makes a difference.

Volunteers will be on site at the purple martin roosts sites most evenings to educate and engage the public about this amazing migration phenomenon. If you are interested in volunteering at the roost, please email nashvillemartinroost@gmail.com. 

Healthy birds reflect healthy communities in Nashville. 

It is widely known in the conservation community that a correlation exists between healthy bird populations and healthy communities; therefore, the importance of embracing all native birds, including purple martins cannot be overstated. Across North America, bird populations have declined by 2.9 billion since 1970, which includes the federally protected purple martin. 

In the spring of 2023, the Nashville Urban Bird Treaty was established in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve urban habitats for birds, reduce hazards to birds, and educate and engage urban communities to care for and conserve these birds and their habitats. Since then, a core team of founding and dedicated partners have worked to implement the treaty’s Bird Agenda, including monitoring and educating about this summer’s Purple Martin migration roost.  

"It is incredible to see that the purple martins have chosen Nashville as a pit stop during their annual migration," says Nasyr Bey, TNC's conservation and policy fellow and Nashville Urban Bird City coordinator. "The work we are doing with the Nashville Urban Bird Treaty is all about creating safe spaces for these amazing birds and getting everyone involved. Whether you're relaxing at home or visiting the roost downtown, there are so many ways to connect with and support our feathered friends. I am really excited to see more folks join us and be a part of something truly special for both the birds and our community." 

The Urban Bird Treaty Program is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and participating U.S. cities. Launched in 1999, the first treaty was signed with New Orleans and a second signed with Chicago in 2000. Since then, an additional 29 cities - spanning from Alabama to Alaska and including Nashville - have become Urban Bird Treaty cities. 

The Nashville Urban Bird core team is comprised of partners that include the City of Nashville, Nashville Parks and Recreation, The Nature Conservancy, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Friends of Warner Parks and Bird Safe Nashville. To learn more about Nashville’s Urban Bird Treaty, visit nashvilleurbanbirdcity.org.