Locusta migratoria
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) is the most widespread locust species, and the only species in the genus Locusta. It occurs throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Because of the vast geographic area it occupies, which comprises many different ecological zones, numerous subspecies have been described. However, not all experts agree on the validity of some of these subspecies. While it reaches plague proportions in drier areas, it is solitary in northern Australia savannas.
Many other species of grasshopper with gregarious and possibly migratory behaviour are referred to as 'locusts' in the vernacular, including the widely distributed desert locust. At 6.5 Gbp, the migratory locust possesses one of the largest known insect genomes.
The migratory locust is polyphenic. It transitions between two main phenotypes in response to population density; the solitary phase and the gregarious phase. As the density of the population increases the locust transforms progressively from the solitary phase towards the gregarious phase with intermediate phases:
Pigmentation and size of the migratory locust vary according to its phase (gregarious or solitary... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Migratory Locust sighting in Abel Tasman National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 44th most-seen of the 64 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Migratory Locust in Abel Tasman National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to October, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Migratory Locust sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Migratory Locust sightings, Abel Tasman National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Ranomafana National Park (Madagascar, about 20%) and Camargue (France, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Migratory Locust is recorded against all the insects logged in Abel Tasman National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
