Thopha saccata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Thopha saccata, the double drummer, is the largest Australian species of cicada and reputedly the loudest insect in the world. Documented by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1803, it was the first described and named cicada native to Australia. Its common name comes from the large dark red-brown sac-like pockets that the adult male has on each side of its abdomen—the "double drums"—that are used to amplify the sound it produces.
Broad-headed compared with other cicadas, the double drummer is mostly brown with a black pattern across the back of its thorax, and has red-brown and black underparts. The sexes are similar in appearance, though the female lacks the male's tymbals and sac-like covers. Found in sclerophyll forest in Queensland and New South Wales, adult double drummers generally perch high in the branches of large eucalypts. They emerge from the ground where they have spent several years as nymphs from November until March, and live for another four to five weeks. They appear in great numbers in some years, yet are absent in others.
Danish naturalist Johan Christian Fabricius described the double drummer as Tettigonia saccata in 1803, the first... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Double Drummer sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 297th most-seen of the 742 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.
November and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Double Drummer in Sydney on a given day, against under 5% in January to October, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Double Drummer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Eastern Double Drummer sightings, Sydney has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Brisbane (Australia, under 5%).
Same family: Cicadidae
The closest relatives of the Eastern Double Drummer that you can see in Sydney (family Cicadidae, Typical Cicadas) are Black Prince (about 20%), Silver Princess (about 20%) and Floury Baker (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Double Drummer is recorded against all the insects logged in Sydney (27 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.
