Designed by an Ornithologist. Bird Abodes is proud to announce the next generation of Purple Martin housing. Known as the "SuperGourd;" it's a 10" plastic gourd, designed and developed by James R. Hill, III, Founder and Executive Director of the Purple Martin Conservation Association. It's the very first martin housing ever to come to market engineered by an ornithologist specializing in Purple Martins. It is based on 15 years of his research into the breeding biology of martins. He found that martins have the highest nesting success in gourds relative to other kinds of housing. On average, Purple Martins fledge one nestling more per nesting attempt in large, white gourds than they do in commercial aluminum martin houses.

The SuperGourd also features a large, molded-in rain canopy that doubles as a perching platform. A series of molded-in corduroy-like ribs on top of the canopy and a textured pattern in the plastic permit martins to perch comfortably, without slipping. The SuperGourd weighs 30 ounces, slightly heavier than a natural gourd its size, so it swings less in the wind. The one-piece body has no seams, so no rain will leak in, and six 5/16" drain holes provide a rapid exit for any rain that may blow in through the 2-1/32" entrance hole.

The SuperGourd is a one-piece plastic gourd with a molded-in, threaded access port, covered by a screw-on cap. The access port is large enough to admit a human hand that is holding a nestling or a handful of nesting material. The cap's liner renders it and the access port totally watertight and opaque. Landlords merely twist off the cap for nest checks, banding, nest replacements, or end-of-season cleanouts. The access port's high, 45-degree viewing angle allows easy viewing of nest contents during recommended weekly nest checks.

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