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Animal profile

Migratory Locust

Locusta migratoria

InsectaGrassland, floodplain and cultivated land across a very wide climatic rangeLeast Concern

Field profile

The migratory locust is a large grasshopper that, like the desert locust, has solitary and gregarious phases. It occurs across an enormous range divided into regional subspecies. Historically it caused destructive plagues in Europe and Asia, though modern outbreaks are more localised.

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

2024-08-31

Migratory Locust

Locust swarms travel where the wind takes them

A locust swarm looks purposeful, but its direction is set largely by the prevailing wind. Downwind drift tends to carry swarms towards convergence zones where air masses meet, which are also where rain falls and vegetation grows.

Read with evidence →

Migratory Locust | Daily Animal Facts