Swamp Cicada
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Dallas

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

9 Verified sightings at Dallas
44 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Swamp Cicada

Neotibicen tibicen, known generally as the swamp cicada or morning cicada, is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae. It is widespread across much of the eastern and central United States and portions of southeastern Canada. There are two subspecies, N. tibicen tibicen and N. tibicen australis, with the latter replacing subspecies tibicen in portions of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

Neotibicen tibicen is active particularly in the morning; hence its common name, morning cicada. It is strictly ectothermic, and only becomes active in the morning after basking in the sun to raise its body temperature. The species' name was Tibicen chloromerus, but in 2008 it was changed to Tibicen tibicen because the cicada was determined to have been described first under this specific epithet. The species was moved to the genus Neotibicen in 2015. N. tibicen is the most frequently encountered Neotibicen because it often perches on low vegetation. Likewise, it is arguably the most common Neotibicen in North America.

https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/neotibicen-tibicen-tibicen-linnaeus-1758-aka-morning-cicada/ Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Swamp Cicada in Dallas?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Swamp Cicada sighting in Dallas on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1019th most-seen of the 1412 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Swamp Cicada in Dallas?

July

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Swamp Cicada in Dallas on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Swamp Cicada?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Swamp Cicada 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 Dallas the best place to see a Swamp Cicada?

7th of 7

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Swamp Cicada sightings, Dallas ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, about 10%), Philadelphia (United States, about 10%) and Washington (United States, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Swamp Cicada live in Dallas?

Same genus: Neotibicen

The closest relatives of the Swamp Cicada that you can see in Dallas (genus Neotibicen, Dog-day Cicadas) are Superb Dog-Day Cicada (about 10%) and Scissor Grinder (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Swamp Cicada sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Swamp Cicada is recorded against all the insects logged in Dallas (9 verified sightings), 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.

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