Pallid-Winged Grasshopper

Pallid-Winged Grasshopper

Trimerotropis pallidipennis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Big Bend National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

58 Verified sightings at Big Bend National Park From 2019 to 2026
558 In all 9 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Pallid-Winged Grasshopper

The pallid-winged grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis) is a common grasshopper of the family Acrididae, native to the deserts of western North America along with South America, ranging from British Columbia to Argentina. They are more active during the summer months, and their pale, mottled coloration makes them hard to see against surfaces such as the granite often found in the gravel of dry river beds. They grow to be 37 millimetres (1.5 in). The behavior of the pallid-winged grasshopper is apparently determined by temperature, with foraging occurring at temperatures of 24–32 °C (75–90 °F) and mating at 30–40 °C (86–104 °F).

Like many band-winged grasshoppers in the subfamily Oedipodinae, males perform crepitation flights, producing crackling sounds with their wings when disturbed or during courtship. Males also stridulate in courtship, rubbing the hind femur against the forewing to make a trilling sound.

Populations of the pallid-winged grasshopper occasionally irrupt to damaging numbers. Between 1952 and 1980, there were six outbreaks in Arizona, only one of which lasted more than one year. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
5 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
6 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
7 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Nahuel Huapi National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 Las Vegas 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Ciudad Juárez 🇲🇽 México
~10%
5 La Paz 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~10%
6 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Torreón 🇲🇽 México
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pallid-Winged Grasshopper in Big Bend National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pallid-Winged Grasshopper sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 29th most-seen of the 329 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Pallid-Winged Grasshopper in Big Bend National Park?

June and November

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pallid-Winged Grasshopper in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Pallid-Winged Grasshopper?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pallid-Winged Grasshopper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Big Bend National Park the best place to see a Pallid-Winged Grasshopper?

3rd of 9

Of the 9 parks where we can rate Pallid-Winged Grasshopper sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, about 40%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Pallid-Winged Grasshopper live in Big Bend National Park?

Same family: Acrididae

The closest relatives of the Pallid-Winged Grasshopper that you can see in Big Bend National Park (family Acrididae, Short-horned Grasshoppers) are Gray Bird Grasshopper (about 20%), Rainbow Grasshopper (about 10%) and Red-Winged Grasshopper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Pallid-Winged Grasshopper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pallid-Winged Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Bend National Park (58 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.

← Back to Big Bend National Park