Magicicada septendecim
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Magicicada septendecim, sometimes called the Pharaoh cicada or the 17-year locust, is native to Canada and the United States and is the largest and most northern species of periodical cicada with a 17-year lifecycle. Like other species included in Magicicada, the insect's eyes and wing veins are reddish and its dorsal thorax is black; it is distinguished by broad orange stripes on the underside of the abdomen and orange patches on the sides of the thorax between the eye and the forewings. Its mating call is a high-pitched song said to resemble someone calling "weeeee-whoa" or "Pharaoh", features it shares with the newly discovered 13-year species Magicicada neotredecim.
Because of similarities between M. septendecim and the two closely related 13-year species M. neotredecim and M. tredecim, the three species are often described together as "decim periodical cicadas." Their median life cycle from egg to natural adult death is around seventeen years. However, their life cycle can range between thirteen and twenty-one years.
Historical accounts cite reports of 15- to 17-year recurrences of enormous numbers of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pharaoh Cicada sighting in Philadelphia on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 402nd most-seen of the 632 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.
May and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pharaoh Cicada in Philadelphia on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pharaoh Cicada sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Pharaoh Cicada sightings, Philadelphia ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Washington (United States, about 10%), Baltimore (United States, about 10%) and Chicago (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pharaoh Cicada is recorded against all the insects logged in Philadelphia (21 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.
