Insect · GBIF taxon 1707404
Leather-colored Bird Grasshopper
Schistocerca alutaceaAlso known as Leather-Colored Grasshopper, Leather Grasshopper, Bird Grasshopper
Leather-colored bird grasshoppers are powerful flyers that frequent grassy fields, pine barrens, and open woodlands across eastern and central North America. They feature a pale yellowish line stretching down a leathery, brown to olive body, making them conspicuous when flushed into the air. Unlike destructive swarm-forming locusts, these solitary grasshoppers rely on quick, bird-like flutter-flights to evade predators before dropping back into dense vegetation.
FlyingHerbivoreCamouflaged
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Grasses
- Forbs
- Leaves
Predators
- Birds
- Rodents
- Lizards
ThreatsHabitat loss and pesticide application
HabitatsGrassy fields, pine barrens, sandhills, and woodland edges
Life span1 year
Classification
- FamilyAcrididae
- SpeciesSchistocerca alutacea
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Approach Slowly: Walk carefully through dry fields, as they launch into rapid flight when startled.
- Look for the Stripe: Scan their backs for a pale yellow line running along the thorax and wings.
- Observe Perching: Watch them land high on shrubs or tall grass stems after a short flight.
Competitor no rights reserved, uploaded by Dennis White · cc0
Close Relative Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth! / CC BY-SA 2.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Minnehaha850, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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