Chorthippus vagans
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Chorthippus vagans, which may be called the heath grasshopper or steppe grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper belonging to the subfamily Gomphocerinae. It is found across the Palearctic through Russia and Kazakhstan, east to Siberia, and north to Denmark. It is rare in the British Isles.
In Central Europe they are usually found at altitudes of 300 to 600 m (980 to 1,970 ft). In the French Calcareous Alps, the species is found on Mont Ventoux up to an altitude of 1,900 m (6,200 ft). The steppe grasshopper lives in warm and dry habitats with sparse, low vegetation. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 2 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Heath Grasshopper sighting in Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 348th most-seen of the 412 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Heath Grasshopper in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–June, September and November, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Heath 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Heath Grasshopper sightings, Mercantour National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 10%).
Same genus: Chorthippus
The closest relatives of the Heath Grasshopper that you can see in Mercantour National Park (genus Chorthippus, Eurasian Field Grasshoppers) are French Grasshopper (about 40%), Locomotive Grasshopper (about 30%) and Steppe Grasshopper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Heath Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Mercantour National Park (8 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.
