American Bird Grasshopper

Description:

The overall color gradually changes from a pinkish-brown or reddish-brown to more of a yellowish-brown hue as the grasshopper reaches sexual maturity. The adults bear fully developed wings with large dark brown spots on a lighter background. Adults are distinctly different in appearance from the immature stages (nymphs). The length of the male is 39 to 45 mm, whereas the female is 42 to 55 mm. Characteristically flies up and into trees when disturbed, behavior quite different from most other grasshoppers.

Habitat:

Eastern, central North America, south into Mexico and into South America. Somewhat migratory, in northern part of range may be immigrant only, not breeding. Found in fields and open woodlands. This one was photographed near a southern deciduous forest in Edgefield County, SC.

Notes:

Other common names include American Grasshopper and American Locust. They occasionally cause serious damage to crops and ornamental plants, and their great abundance can be a nuisance. Fields can be invaded daily by the adult grasshoppers, which often roost at night in nearby trees and shrubs. The short-winged nymphs are less mobile of course, and normally reside within sunny fields, as the grasshoppers avoid shade. Their eggs are deposited in the soil.