19 Types of Grasshoppers: From Backyard Hoppers to Swarming Locusts
October 24, 2026
Step into almost any field, meadow, or roadside ditch in late summer and something will jump before you see it. That sudden burst of movement could belong to any one of roughly 400 grasshopper species native to North America alone, each with its own size, color pattern, and habitat preference.
Telling one type of grasshopper from another comes down to a handful of clues: the shape of the face, the pattern on the hind legs, the color flash of the wings in flight, and whether the insect prefers grass, broadleaf weeds, or bare desert soil. This guide walks through 19 recognizable grasshoppers and locusts, covering what makes each one distinct and where in the insect world it fits.
1. Differential grasshopper
The differential grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis) is one of the larger and more destructive members of its genus. Adult males grow to 28–37 mm, and females grow to 34–50 mm. Their bodies are typically shiny brownish-yellow, with a bold black herringbone pattern running across the hind femur that makes identification fairly straightforward once you know to look for it.
Differential grasshoppers live in grasslands, open woods, lush vegetation, and wet crop areas. It is found throughout northern Mexico, the central United States and southern Ontario, Canada, and it is considered a pest over most of its range. In agricultural areas it feeds heavily on corn, alfalfa, soybeans, and garden vegetables, often doing the most damage after other food sources dry out in late summer.
2. Two-striped grasshopper
The two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus) gets its name from an obvious field mark. It can be recognized by the two distinctive pale yellow stripes that converge to form a V-shape on its back. It is also a relatively large species, with sizes ranging from 30 to 55 mm.
This grasshopper is commonly found across North America, and it is especially abundant on the Canadian prairies. It occurs widely across the continent, inhabiting tall, lush, herbaceous vegetation such as wet meadows, ditch banks, and the weedy borders of farm fields, where large populations can damage small grains and hay crops.
Pro Tip: The two-striped and differential grasshoppers often share the same fields and are frequently confused. Look for the converging yellow stripes on the two-striped grasshopper versus the solid black chevron pattern on the differential’s hind leg.
3. Red-legged grasshopper
The red-legged grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum) ranks among the most common and widely distributed grasshoppers in North America. It is a medium-sized species, generally brownish or olive with a yellowish underside, and its name comes from the reddish tint along the hind tibia that stands out against the otherwise muted body color.
This species thrives in pastures, hayfields, roadsides, and home gardens, making it one of the grasshoppers homeowners are most likely to spot alongside other familiar backyard insects like ladybugs. While it feeds on a wide range of grasses and broadleaf plants, its damage tends to be mild compared to larger outbreak species.
4. Migratory grasshopper
The migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes) is a grayish-brown, medium-sized species best known for the long-distance flights that give it its common name. During population outbreaks, dense swarms can move many miles in search of fresh vegetation, a behavior that has made it one of the most economically significant grasshopper species in North American agriculture.
Unlike some stay-at-home species, this grasshopper thrives in disturbed habitats, rangeland, and cropland alike. Its tendency to form large, mobile groups during outbreak years draws comparisons to other insects known for coordinated swarming, including termites that relocate entire colonies when conditions demand it.
5. Carolina grasshopper
The Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina) is one of the largest and most frequently seen band-winged grasshoppers in the United States. At rest, its mottled gray-brown forewings blend almost perfectly with pavement, gravel, and bare soil, but in flight it reveals black hind wings edged in pale yellow, a pattern often compared to a mourning cloak butterfly.
This species favors open, sun-baked ground such as dirt roads, trails, and parking lots rather than dense vegetation. Its camouflage against predators, including the many birds that hunt grasshoppers as a primary food source, disappears the instant it takes flight and reappears the moment it lands.
6. American bird grasshopper
The American bird grasshopper (Schistocerca americana) is a large, strong-flying species that can reach nearly two inches in length. Its brown to grayish-brown coloring provides effective camouflage among dry grasses and shrubs, and its powerful flight muscles allow it to cover considerable distances when disturbed, which is how it earned the “bird” portion of its name.
Found throughout the eastern and southern United States, this species is active during the day and often rests on trees and shrubs rather than low grass. It belongs to the same genus as several locust species found elsewhere in the world, and in years with favorable weather its populations can spike enough to draw attention from the same bats and nighttime predators that help keep insect numbers in check.
7. Clearwinged grasshopper
The clearwinged grasshopper (Camnula pellucida) belongs to the band-winged group but stands out for having hind wings that are transparent rather than brightly colored. This relatively small, tan to brown grasshopper is easy to overlook until it flushes from the grass and its clear wings catch the light.
It is best known as a serious rangeland pest in the western United States and Canada, where periodic outbreaks can strip grasslands of forage almost as efficiently as a swarm of bees moving through a field, though for very different reasons. Ranchers and agricultural agencies monitor its populations closely in years following mild winters, which tend to favor higher survival rates.
8. Blue-winged grasshopper
The blue-winged grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens) is native to Europe and parts of Asia, where it inhabits dry, sandy, sparsely vegetated ground. Its forewings carry a mottled gray-brown camouflage pattern that makes it nearly invisible against bare soil and gravel.
The surprise comes when it takes flight: the hind wings flash a striking electric blue before the grasshopper lands and tucks them away again, instantly vanishing back into its background. This flash-and-disappear strategy is thought to startle predators just long enough for the grasshopper to escape, a trick shared by several other band-winged species around the world.
9. Painted grasshopper
The painted grasshopper (Dactylotum bicolor), sometimes called the rainbow grasshopper, is one of the most visually striking species on this list. Its black body is decorated with bands of red, yellow, blue, and white, a pattern so bold it looks almost artificial against the muted grasslands it calls home.
Found across the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, this grasshopper has very short wings and cannot fly, relying instead on its vivid coloration to warn predators that it may be distasteful. That kind of warning coloration mirrors similar survival strategies seen throughout the animal kingdom, from toxic insects to the broader patterns of species interactions shaped by predator avoidance.
Key Insight: Bright, high-contrast coloring in grasshoppers like the painted grasshopper usually signals aposematism, a warning to predators that the insect is unpleasant or mildly toxic to eat rather than an invitation.
10. Gaudy grasshopper
Gaudy grasshoppers belong to the genus Phymateus, a group native to sub-Saharan Africa known for combining large size with explosive color. Adults display patches of green, yellow, red, and black across a heavy-bodied frame, and when threatened they can release a foul-smelling, foamy secretion as a chemical defense.
These grasshoppers feed on a range of toxic and non-toxic plants, and some species are able to sequester plant toxins into their own tissues, reinforcing the warning sent by their coloring. Despite the dramatic appearance, gaudy grasshoppers move relatively slowly and rely more on deterrence than speed to avoid predators.
11. Eastern lubber grasshopper
The eastern lubber grasshopper (Romalea microptera) is a heavyset, flightless giant common across the southeastern United States. Adults typically display yellow, orange, and black coloring, while the earlier nymph stages are often black with bold yellow or red stripes, making the species easy to recognize at almost any life stage.
True to its name, the lubber moves slowly and clumsily rather than hopping away quickly, compensating with a hiss, a spray of foul-smelling foam, and mildly toxic body fluids that discourage most predators, including small insect-eating mammals such as hedgehogs. In home gardens across Florida and the Gulf Coast, this grasshopper is considered a notable nuisance because of its large appetite for ornamental plants.
Common Mistake: People sometimes assume the eastern lubber’s bright warning colors mean it is dangerous to touch. While its defensive secretions can irritate skin or eyes, it is not venomous and poses little real risk to humans who leave it alone.
12. Plains lubber grasshopper
The plains lubber grasshopper (Brachystola magna) is widely regarded as the bulkiest grasshopper species in North America, with a thick, rounded body that looks almost too heavy for its short wings to lift. Its coloring tends toward brown, olive, or pinkish tones that blend well with the dry grasslands of its range.
Found throughout the Great Plains and parts of the Southwest, this flightless grasshopper feeds primarily on broadleaf plants rather than grasses, which puts it in occasional conflict with ranchers managing pasture quality for cattle and goat herds. Its size and slow movement make it one of the easiest grasshoppers to observe up close.
13. Horse lubber grasshopper
The horse lubber grasshopper (Taeniopoda eques) is a large, strikingly marked species found in the deserts and grasslands of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Its body is mostly black, accented with reddish-orange hind wings and yellow-trimmed legs that flash into view when the insect is disturbed.
Like other lubbers, it cannot fly and moves at a deliberate pace, relying on its size and warning coloration for protection. It shares its arid habitat with a variety of desert reptiles, including several iguana species that patrol the same rocky, sun-exposed terrain in search of food.
Comparing the three lubber species side by side highlights just how much variation exists within a single grasshopper group:
| Common Name | Typical Range | Color Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Lubber Grasshopper | Southeastern United States | Yellow, orange, and black |
| Plains Lubber Grasshopper | Great Plains and Southwest | Brown, olive, or pinkish |
| Horse Lubber Grasshopper | Southwestern US and northern Mexico | Black with orange-red wings |
14. Pygmy grasshopper
Pygmy grasshoppers, members of the family Tetrigidae such as Tetrix subulata, look like miniature versions of typical grasshoppers, often measuring under half an inch long. Their most distinctive feature is an elongated pronotum that stretches backward like a shield, sometimes covering most of the abdomen and wings.
Unlike most grasshoppers, pygmy species usually live near water, in damp soil, or along muddy banks, where they feed on algae, moss, and decaying plant matter rather than fresh grass. Their small size and drab coloring make them easy to miss, but a close look near a pond edge or streambank often reveals several hopping away at once.
15. Spur-throated grasshopper
Spur-throated grasshoppers make up the subfamily Melanoplinae, the largest and most diverse grasshopper group in North America, which already includes several species covered earlier in this guide. Members of this subfamily are recognized by a spiny projection on the prosternum between the front legs, roughly where a throat would be.
This subfamily includes the migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes), one of the most widespread and well-known species on the continent, along with the differential and two-striped grasshoppers detailed above. In fact, the twostriped grasshopper is one of the two largest species in the genus Melanoplus, the other being the differential grasshopper. Spur-throated species tend to favor broadleaf plants and weeds over pure grass, which is part of why so many of them turn up as crop pests.
16. Slant-faced grasshopper
Slant-faced grasshoppers, part of the subfamily Gomphocerinae and represented by species like Syrbula admirabilis, are named for their distinctly angled, pointed facial profile when viewed from the side. Their bodies tend to be slender and elongated compared to the stockier build of spur-throated species.
These grasshoppers are grass specialists, feeding almost exclusively on various grass species rather than broadleaf plants, which places them in meadows, prairies, and lawns with abundant grass cover. Many males produce a soft buzzing or ticking sound by rubbing their hind legs against their wings, a form of stridulation used to attract mates.
17. Band-winged grasshopper
Band-winged grasshoppers form the subfamily Oedipodinae, a group that includes the Carolina and clearwinged grasshoppers already described, along with species like Arphia pseudonietana. Their defining trait is a hind wing marked with bold bands of color, often red, yellow, or black, that remain hidden until the insect takes flight.
Many band-winged species also produce a crackling or clicking sound in flight known as crepitation, created by snapping the hind wings as they open and close. Because they are abundant, easy to catch, and active in open fields near water, several band-winged species are also popular with anglers who use them as live bait with a simple fishing rod and light line.
Key Insight: The clicking or crackling sound you hear from a grasshopper flying across a field is likely crepitation, a wing-snapping behavior common among band-winged species used to startle predators or signal other grasshoppers.
18. Desert locust
The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is native to Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Southwest Asia, and it is arguably the most notorious insect on this list because of its capacity to swarm. Under normal, low-density conditions, individuals are solitary, harmless, and colored in muted greens and browns.
When populations grow dense enough, however, the same species undergoes a dramatic transformation known as phase polyphenism, shifting to a brighter yellow-and-black gregarious form that behaves very differently from its solitary counterpart. Gregarious desert locusts form massive, coordinated swarms capable of traveling long distances and stripping vast areas of vegetation, a behavior that has historically triggered food security crises across affected regions.
19. Migratory locust
The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) is one of the most widely distributed locust species on the planet, found across large parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, and southern Europe. Like the desert locust, it exhibits phase polyphenism, switching between a solitary form and a gregarious, swarming form depending on population density and environmental triggers.
Historically, migratory locust swarms have been responsible for some of the most devastating agricultural losses on record, reshaping how entire regions approach crop protection and early-warning monitoring. The following comparison highlights how these two major locust species differ despite their similar swarming biology:
| Feature | Desert Locust | Migratory Locust |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Range | Africa, Middle East, Southwest Asia | Africa, Asia, Australia, southern Europe |
| Solitary Phase Color | Green to brown | Green to brown |
| Gregarious Phase Color | Yellow and black | Darker brown to black with yellow markings |
Important Note: There is no strict biological line separating grasshoppers from locusts. Locusts are simply grasshopper species capable of phase polyphenism, the shift from a solitary to a swarming form, while most grasshoppers never exhibit this behavior at all.
From the herringbone-legged differential grasshopper in a suburban backyard to the color-shifting swarms of the desert locust half a world away, these 19 species show just how much variety exists within a single insect order. Learning to read the small details, a leg pattern here, a wing flash there, turns a quick jump in the grass into an identifiable encounter with a specific, named species worth a second look.