An insect eating machine.

While endangered for a time, my species had made a comeback. I winter in Brazil but when I return to Illinois each summer I help control the mosquito population and bolster tourism for a little town called Griggsville. Who am I?

The Purple Martin.

The water tower of this small west-central Illinois town warns all foolish enough to leave the Interstate that they have ventured into the "Purple Martin Capital of the Nation." But even before the water tower type is visible, visitors will have passed an alarming number of tall poles supporting multiple-dwelling bird houses. They seem to be on almost every street corner. Near the town center, a 562-apartment bird high-rise pokes up into the blue, visible for miles by its intended inhabitant -- the Purple Martin.

The bluish-black bird -- once an endangered species -- has rebounded thanks to protection by a federal law, boosterism of towns like Griggsville, and a unique talent. A single Purple Martin can supposedly eat 2,000 mosquitoes a day. Read more from the Field Review team at Roadside America.