Category: Audio, Sounds, Songs

How loud/noisy (in decibels) do periodical cicadas get?

Post author By Dan
Post date June 6, 2013
1 Comment on How loud/noisy (in decibels) do periodical cicadas get?

Last Thursday Roy Troutman, Elias Bonaros and I traveled around central New Jersey, looking for cicadas. They were not hard to find. Elias found a location in Colonia that had a particularly loud Magicicada cassini chorusing center. Using my camera and Extech 407730 40-to-130-Decibel Digital Sound Level Meter, I recorded the calls of these cicadas and how loud they can get. The quality of the video isn’t the best because it’s a camera, not a video camera, but it is good enough.

Magicicada cassini chorusing center peaking at 85db (on YouTube):

Elias and Roy used finger snaps, mimicking the wing snaps of female cicadas, to trick the males into singing:

Magicicada cassini responding to fingersnaps (on Vimeo):

Magicicada cassini responding to fingersnaps from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.

We placed the M. cassini directly on the microphone and got calls as high as 109 decibels, in this video:

Magicicada cassini calling at 109db in Colonia NJ from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.

There were a few M. septendecim in the area as well. A Magicicada septendecim goes from a Court II to Court III call as soon as it crawls on the decibel meter, in this video.

Magicicada septendecim court 3 from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.

The cicada choruses in Central New Jersey have no doubt gotten louder since last week. Hopefully, on Sunday I’ll get back out to Central Jersey or Staten Island and make some recordings.

Tags M. cassini, M. septendecim

Audio, Sounds, Songs

Guess the cicada song

Ricky B sent us this sound file of a cicada that he recorded in August of 2010 in Chicago:

Can you guess which species it is?

Hint: try sites like Insect Singers and Songs of Insects sites for ideas.

Tags N. pruinosus

Audio, Sounds, Songs David Marshall Kathy Hill

Cool new cicada website: Insect Singers

Post author By Dan
Post date August 11, 2010
1 Comment on Cool new cicada website: Insect Singers

Hey,

If you’re interested in North American cicada species, and you’re looking for sound files of those cicada’s songs, check out Insect Singers, a new website from cicada researchers David Marshall and Kathy Hill. It has dozens of audio samples. Awesome!

Audio, Sounds, Songs Brood XIX Lenny Lampel Magicicada Periodical Video

Magicicada tredecassini audio from Charlotte, North Carolina

Post author By Dan
Post date May 11, 2010
1 Comment on Magicicada tredecassini audio from Charlotte, North Carolina

Update: Brood XIX straggler photos by Lenny Lampel.

Here’s a treat. Lenny Lampel, Natural Resources Coordinator for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Conservation Science Office in Charlotte, NC, uploaded these videos that feature the calls of Magicicada tredecassini to YouTube.

Magicicada tredecassini chorus:

A small chorus of one year early Magicicada tredecassini stragglers of Brood XIX calling from the Lower McAlpine Greenway in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 10, 2010.

Magicicada tredecassini calls :

One year early Magicicada tredecassini stragglers of Brood XIX calling from the Lower McAlpine Greenway in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 10, 2010.

Tags M. tredecassini

Audio, Sounds, Songs Joe Green Tibicen Video

Megatibicen resonans calls

Post author By Dan
Post date January 16, 2010
No Comments on Megatibicen resonans calls

Joe Green recently provided Cicada Mania with videos of various cicadas calling.

Here’s a selection of Megatibicen resonans (formerly Tibicen resonans) calls, including alarm calls:

T. resonans alarm call by Joe Green.

T. resonans alarm by Joe Green.

T. resonans calling by Joe Green.

T. resonans calling in Desoto Co. by Joe Green.

Joe’s Tibicen resonans were recorded in Florida. Here are photos of a M. resonans also by Joe.

Tags M. resonans

Audio, Sounds, Songs Joe Green Neocicada Video

New Cicada Videos from Joe Green

Post author By Dan
Post date January 9, 2010
No Comments on New Cicada Videos from Joe Green

Joe Green sent me a couple of CDs worth of North American cicadas calling and has graciously allowed us to use them for the site. The highlight of these videos is that they feature cicada calls.

I have to add descriptions, and about 50 more videos, but for now check out what’s uploaded so far.

Here’s a sample:

Neocicada hieroglyphica singing by Joe Green from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.

Tags N. hieroglyphica hieroglyphica

Anatomy Audio, Sounds, Songs Books Broods

The Songs of Insects

Lately, we’ve received quite a few emails asking for audio samples of cicadas and katydids so folks can A) tell them apart, and B) tell what species they are. There’s plenty of sites on the web that feature cicada sounds; look for links tagged AUDIO on my cicada links page. Two particularly good sites for sound files Massachusetts Cicadas and Cicada Central.

In my search for good cicada and katydid sounds, many people recommended the book “The Songs of Insects” by Lang Elliott and Wil Hershberger. I ordered it immediately, and it arrived today. I am truly amazed by this book (and audio CD). The book profiles 75 North American singing insects including cicadas, katydids, crickets, and grasshoppers. Each profile features two excellent color photos of each insect, a map of where you can find them, a description, and the audio CD that includes the insect’s song. The book is over 225 pages long, and a high-quality paperback. If you or your kids are interested in signing insects, there’s no better book to buy. All my nieces and nephews are getting this book for Christmas.

The authors of the book have a webpage featuring the songs of the insects featured in the book. Note that the book is lacking in species found in the western U.S. — if you live east of the Rockies this book is awesome.

Listing for bugs is a fun thing to do in these hot summer months — buy this book before the summer ends.

5 out of 5 Marvins.