Songs of Insects

Narrow-winged Tree Cricket (Oecanthus niveus)

Song of a Narrow-winged Tree Cricket (scroll down for explanation and additional recordings!).

Light green in color with a prominent reddish cap, the Narrow-winged Tree Cricket is a handsome species that often sports pale blue eyes. Some individuals are particularly striking, with bright green veins on their wings. It frequents orchards, shrubbery, and gardens and may also be found in coarse weeds near the base of trees. Singing only at night, males are easy to locate and observe. They continue to sing even when illuminated with a light.
 
 

Narrow-winged Tree Cricket

Base of antennae.

Song: A mellow trill of variable length, usually lasting about two to ten seconds, and sometimes with a slight sputter at the beginning or the end. Songs are separated by several seconds of silence. Pulse rate is about 65 per second, with a frequency of 3 kHz. This species and the Two-spotted Tree Cricket are the only tree crickets in our area that typically sing trills of short duration.
 
 
 
 

Sonogram of a Narrow-winged Tree Cricket. © Wil Hershberger.