Wildlife Wednesday: Purple Martin Parents Travel 3,000 Miles to Raise Their Chicks at Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World is hosting some "egg-stra special" guests this spring! Meet the purple martin, a small songbird that has traveled an incredible 3,000 miles from its wintering grounds in the Brazilian Amazon to North America to complete a very important mission: raising a family.

Just like our guests, purple martins come to Walt Disney World to enjoy our incredible resorts, fine dining and (if you're a purple martin) a little romance! Adult birds began arriving in January and have spent the last few weeks perusing all the accommodations at our 19 luxury bird house "resorts" located across Walt Disney World property, and more importantly, sizing up their fellow bird resort-stayers to find a mate! Nearly 100 happy bird couples have already made their selections and have built nests, and we're excited to announce that a lucky bird couple nesting at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort has welcomed the first eggs of the season!

In just 16 days, these newly arrived eggs will hatch, and these purple martin parents-to- be will be busy caring for five to seven growing chicks. In about 26 days, the chicks will go from pink to purple as they grow in their feathers and prepare to take their first flight at Walt Disney World. Talk about a thrill ride!

Guests visiting our Disney parks and resorts through July have the special opportunity to get an up-close view of the purple martins, which are featured in the Purple Martins Presented by Audubon Florida garden at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival as well as at Disney Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Port Orleans Resort Riverside and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

Additionally, Guests can get the chance to meet one of our purple martin specialists during the Epcot Outdoor Family Fun (April 8-10) and Earth Day (April 22-24) weekends as they carry out a "housekeeping check" at each of the purple martin houses to monitor nests and record information about the adult purple martins and their young. You may even get an up-close view of a purple martin nest!