Bug FAQAmerican Bird Grasshopper
Schistocerca americana · Order: Orthoptera · Family: Acrididae
Also called: American grasshopper, American Bird Locust
Source: Wikipedia
The American Bird Grasshopper is a yellow-brown adult about 4.5-5.5 cm long, with pale wings marked by large brown spots; nymphs are green, yellow or red with black markings. Two generations appear each year and the adults survive the winter, sometimes causing localized outbreaks that are called locusts but do not form true swarms.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are yellow-brown with pale wings that have big brown spots. Young grasshoppers are green, yellow or red and show black patterns.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males grow up to about 4.5 cm (1.8 in) and females can reach 5.5 cm (2.2 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It can chew through building materials such as window screens.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
In Florida it is a known pest of citrus, and it also eats corn, cotton, oats, peanuts, rye, sugarcane, tobacco, vegetables and ornamental plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species produces two generations each year. Adults survive the winter instead of overwintering as eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Occasional local outbreaks occur, and people sometimes call it a locust even though it does not form true swarms.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Although called a locust, it does not have the swarming behavior of the desert locust.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What crops does it damage?
It feeds on citrus, corn, cotton, oats, peanuts, rye, sugarcane, tobacco, vegetables and ornamental plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Can it damage my house?
Yes, it can chew through window screens and similar building materials.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Acrididae)
Differential GrasshopperMelanoplus differentialisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Two-striped GrasshopperMelanoplus bivittatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Carolina GrasshopperDissosteira carolinaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Field GrasshopperChorthippus brunneus
Egyptian Bird GrasshopperAnacridium aegyptium
Gray Bird GrasshopperSchistocerca nitensDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schistocerca_americana
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.