Abstract
RECENTLY articles and advertisements have appeared in newspapers and publications throughout the United States urging the public to erect bird houses in order to establish colonies of Purple Martins (Progne subis). The publicity proclaims that a martin consumes 2,000 mosquitoes per day, and either states or implies that martins provide effective biological control of mosquitoes. This is somewhat reminiscent of a controversy raised many years ago over the use of bats as mosquito control agents (see Allen, 1939; Storer, 1926). This paper reviews the scientific and popular ornithological literature regarding the diet and feeding behavior of the Purple Martin, in order to ascertain what if any role martins play in the control of mosquito populations.
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