Strong fliers and sometimes quite large, it is no mystery why this type of grasshopper is compared to birds. The pale body is ideal for blending in with grasses and stems, but crops are also food sources for Bird Grasshoppers, which are often referred to as locusts. In large numbers, they are pests, but in North America, their impact does not devastate. They have short antennae and overlapping plaits on the legs. Many species look so similar it is near impossible to tell them apart in the field. Small red dots are actually mites, which can help control the number of grasshoppers. Nymphs are young grasshoppers, and they look just like small versions of adults with short wings, or no visible wings at that stage. Congregations can be made of grasshoppers in multiple life stages. Despite the various species on this continent, only one shows authentic swarming behavior.
General Characteristics
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Orthoptera
Family:Acrididae
Genus:Schistocerca
Species:spp.
Identifying Information
Scientific Name: Schistocerca spp.
Category:
Grasshopper or Cricket
Size (Adult; Length): 25mm to 50mm (0.98in to 1.95in)
Colors: tan; brown; orange; green; yellow; red
Descriptors: flying; jumping; short antennae; red dot mites; locust; big; long
Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.
Colors: tan; brown; orange; green; yellow; red
