Gomphocerippus rufus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The rufous grasshopper (Gomphocerippus rufus) is a species of grasshopper. It is a medium-sized, broad, brown, short-horned grasshopper with clubbed antennae that are tipped with a conspicuous white or pale colour. It is fairly large, averaging 14 to 22 mm in length. It is of the subfamily Gomphocerinae in the family Acrididae, the predominant family of grasshoppers. This species is present in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, and in the Near East. It can be encountered from late July through mid-December, usually in dry or slightly moist habitats. The environments in which it typically resides include dry grassland on calcareous soils, sheltered valleys with scrub, and the open borders of forests. It feeds on grasses and various herbaceous plants. It is known for its distinctive courtship song and accompanying display.
Males range from 14 to 16 mm, while females range from 17 to 22 mm. The coloration is usually shades of brown, but features some grey, yellow, and red. The mature male has an abdomen tipped with orange-red. The female has similar coloration, but it is much less pronounced than in males. Some females are reddish purple. The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 2 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 3 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Grasshopper sighting in Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 272nd most-seen of the 412 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Grasshopper in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to August, the lowest months. Those are among Mercantour National Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain a month against 50 mm in August.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Grasshopper sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Rufous Grasshopper sightings, Mercantour National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 10%) and Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 10%).
Same family: Acrididae
The closest relatives of the Rufous Grasshopper that you can see in Mercantour National Park (family Acrididae, Short-horned Grasshoppers) are Alpes-Maritime Mountain Grasshopper (about 50%), Large Banded Grasshopper (about 50%) and Club-Legged Grasshopper (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Mercantour National Park (14 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.
