Listen to the migratory locust
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the migratory locust
The migratory locust is a insect in the family Acrididae (order Orthoptera). Wikidata describes it as “most widespread locust species”.
What does the migratory locust sound like?
Insects make sound mechanically: crickets and grasshoppers rub a scraper against a file (stridulation), cicadas buckle ribbed membranes called tymbals, and bees and mosquitoes hum with their wingbeats.
From Wikipedia
The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) is the most widespread locust species, and the only species in the genus Locusta. It occurs throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Because of the vast geographic area it occupies, which comprises many different ecological zones, numerous subspecies have been described. However, not all experts agree on the validity of some of these subspecies. While it reaches plague proportions in drier areas, it is solitary in northern Australia savannas.
Many other species of grasshopper with gregarious and possibly migratory behaviour are referred to as 'locusts' in the vernacular, including the widely distributed desert locust.
Related insects in the genus Locusta
More from the family Acrididae
Large gold grasshopper
Chrysochraon dispar
Rattle grasshopper
Psophus stridulus
Bow-winged grasshopper
Chorthippus biguttulus
Common green grasshopper
Omocestus viridulus
Small gold grasshopper
Euthystira brachyptera
Common field grasshopper
Chorthippus brunneus
Lesser marsh grasshopper
Chorthippus albomarginatus
Large marsh grasshopper
Stethophyma grossum
Dociostaurus maroccanus
Dociostaurus maroccanus
Rufous grasshopper
Gomphocerippus rufus
Frequently asked questions
What does a migratory locust sound like?
You can hear 4 recordings of the migratory locust on this page. Insects make sound mechanically: crickets and grasshoppers rub a scraper against a file (stridulation), cicadas buckle ribbed membranes called tymbals, and bees and mosquitoes hum with their wingbeats.
What family does the migratory locust belong to?
The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) belongs to the family Acrididae in the order Orthoptera.
Sources & credits
- Locusta migratoria - sound by Baudewijn Odé – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- BioAcoustica 576 14 Locusta migratoria migratorioides 253a – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- BioAcoustica 576 15 Locusta migratoria migratorioides 253b – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- BioAcoustica 390-9 Locusta migratoria cinerascens 333 – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q1059580 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Migratory locust – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Jonathan Hornung – CC BY-SA 2.0