Heath Cedar Purple Martin House, Crescent Entrance Holes, 19 in. x 15.75 in. x 15.25 in.

The quality of the birdhouse was below my expectation at this price point. The internal parts will not last and the side panel is cracked off of the screws being over tighten.

Purple Martins need the right size to breed and raise a family. Adult martins are 7.5 - 8” long, so apartments must be large enough to accommodate 4-6 nearly-grown nestlings and both parents. Room should be 6 x 11” or 6 X 12” at a minimum. Gourds should be no less than 8” in diameter, with gourds in the 10-12” range being ideal. This allows them to be safer from predators & the elements & to fledge more babies. It actually hurts the survivability of the species having them nest in smaller rooms like these - the fledge rate is completely compromised in this undersized space. Windblown rains have a greater impact upon smaller compartments. Young martins subjected to rain can develop hypothermia and die. Predators can quickly snatch a martin from these smaller compartments. Please think of the birds themselves, rather than the artistic, or inexpensive appeal. Serious Purple Martin landlords won’t consider any house with rooms this compact, since it is detrimental to the survival of Purple Martins. Their numbers are already diminishing from pesticides and mercury levels where they winter in Brazil. Providing the right size housing for them is the very least we can do to keep them healthy, safer from predators, and breeding properly. Also, importantly, entrances holes should be designed to hinder starling and predator invasions.