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Animal profile

Cicada

InsectaWoodland, scrub, orchards and gardens with woody plants for the nymphs to feed on underground

Field profile

Cicadas are stout, big-eyed true bugs with membranous wings held roof-like over the body. Nymphs live underground for years feeding on root xylem, then emerge, moult on a vertical surface and leave the familiar split husk. Adults feed on plant sap and live only a few weeks.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-05-23

Cicada

The cicada sings by buckling a ribbed drum

Crickets and grasshoppers rub one body part against another. Cicadas do something different: a muscle snaps a ribbed plate on each side of the abdomen inwards, rib by rib, and each click of the buckling plate is a pulse of the song.

Read with evidence →

Cicada | Daily Animal Facts