Locusta migratoria
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) is the most widespread locust species, and the only species in the genus Locusta. It occurs throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Because of the vast geographic area it occupies, which comprises many different ecological zones, numerous subspecies have been described. However, not all experts agree on the validity of some of these subspecies. While it reaches plague proportions in drier areas, it is solitary in northern Australia savannas.
Many other species of grasshopper with gregarious and possibly migratory behaviour are referred to as 'locusts' in the vernacular, including the widely distributed desert locust. At 6.5 Gbp, the migratory locust possesses one of the largest known insect genomes.
The migratory locust is polyphenic. It transitions between two main phenotypes in response to population density; the solitary phase and the gregarious phase. As the density of the population increases the locust transforms progressively from the solitary phase towards the gregarious phase with intermediate phases:
Pigmentation and size of the migratory locust vary according to its phase (gregarious or solitary... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Migratory Locust sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 68 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Migratory Locust in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–October and December–March, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Migratory Locust 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 5 parks where we can rate Migratory Locust sightings, Ranomafana National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Camargue (France, about 10%) and Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same family: Acrididae
The closest relatives of the Migratory Locust that you can see in Ranomafana National Park (family Acrididae, Short-horned Grasshoppers) are Tricolor Grasshopper (about 30%), Catantopsis sacalava (about 20%) and Serpusilla malagassa (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Migratory Locust is recorded against all the insects logged in Ranomafana 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.
