DAVENPORT, Iowa — Living arrangements for an endangered species of birds are being made in Davenport's City Cemetery.
Special colony homes for Purple Martins were installed by the cemetery and Scott County Conservation Consortium with goals to help the birds repopulate.
"Mankind created the dilemma for this particular species," said Davenport City Cemetery volunteer Kory Darnall. "We have the opportunity to rectify it a little bit in the cemetery by establishing a habitat for them."
Darnall says the birds will help by eating a lot of bugs like mosquitos in the area.
According to allaboutbirds.org, Purple Martins feed by getting all of their food and water during flight, skimming pond surfaces with their lower bills.
The site also says, in densely populated areas, the birds roost together by the thousands in late summer as soon as chicks leave the nest. Their gatherings are so dense, they can easily be seen on weather radars.
Volunteers are hoping for around six-nesting pairs of Purple Martins by Spring 2022.