Do cicadas sing at night?
A few people have asked me if cicadas sing at night. The truth is, in most cases they do not. Most of the time when you hear an insect at night it is a cricket or katydid. However, there are a few cases when cicadas will sing at night:
- In the presence of artificial light sources: full moon, streetlights, flood lights. I turned on a flood light tonight to test this and it worked: a cicada started to sing.
- When it’s extraordinarily hot.
- If the cicada is disturbed or attacked.
- If they’re overcrowded
Thanks to John Cooley for most of this information.
Visit the Sample Songs of Crickets and Katydids web site for sound clips of katydids and crickets.
I think the answer may vary by region. Here in East Texas the cicadas chorus at night, and the sound is not likely to be confused with crickets or katydids.
There’s a little sound clip of cicadas at http://pulseplanet.nationalgeographic.com/ax/archives/01_naturetemplate.cfm?programnumber=2158
Comment by Thomas Bryner — July 30, 2005 @ 5:58 am