Is it a grasshopper or a cricket?

Each summer, grasshoppers and crickets fill the countryside with songs as they skip, hop and jump in the warm sun. Identification can be hard, but there are differences between grasshoppers and crickets.

Grasshopper

Grasshoppers and crickets are both members of the Orthoptera order, which also includes locusts. However, grasshoppers are thought to have split from crickets more than 250 million years ago – before dinosaurs walked our planet.

A leaf-green coloured insect with long legs and antennae perches on a tree stump in the sun.

A great green bush cricket, common to the UK.

What's the difference between a grasshopper and a cricket?

Not sure which of these jumping insects you've seen? They might be different species from distinct families, but grasshoppers and crickets have a lot in common. Here are a few similarities:

long hind legs, made for jumping
males produce a song to attract mates
similar life cycle with no pupal stage

That said, there are plenty of ways to identify the differences between grasshoppers and crickets.

Antennae: Grasshoppers have shorter, stubbier antennae compared to the cricket's longer and thinner ones. The number of segments also differs. Crickets can have more than 30 segments in their antennae, whereas grasshoppers have fewer.
Ears: Cricket ears are on the knees of their front legs, while grasshopper ears are on their abdomen – neither have their ears anywhere near their head!
Body: Grasshoppers are sausage-shaped and are typically green, brown, or grey, while crickets can be different shapes and are mostly pale green or greyish brown in colour.
Size: Grasshoppers measure 2-3cm; crickets can grow up to 1.5-5cm.
Diet: Each grasshopper and cricket have their own preferences, but grasshoppers tend to be herbivores, while crickets are omnivorous.

Grasshoppers are more active during the day, whereas crickets generally prefer evening and night.

Learn more about grasshoppers

Read our guide to these all-singing, all-dancing creatures that are able to leap distances of up to 20 times the length of their own body

How many grasshoppers and crickets are there in the UK?

There are 23 cricket species and 11 grasshopper species in the UK.

Grasshopper species include the common field grasshopper, meadow grasshopper, common green grasshopper and the mottled grasshopper. Among the UK's cricket species are the field cricket, house cricket and bush crickets.

A green cricket with long legs and antennae grips a blade of grass in dappled sunlight.

Roesel's bush cricket, largely found in the south east of England.

Tips to spot grasshoppers and crickets

Coming alive in the high summer, grasshoppers and crickets are found all across the UK. The south has the greatest variety of species, but you'll find grasshoppers and crickets in most grasslands and woodlands. Our canals and rivers often have grassy and vegetated banks, which provide ample shelter and food for these insects to thrive.

You're more likely to hear than see a grasshopper or cricket.

How to identify grasshoppers and crickets by sound

A great way to tell grasshoppers and crickets apart is by their songs. Crickets are known for their night-time chirping, while grasshoppers produce their calls during the day.

Use your ears to tune into their songs and pinpoint their location. Each species has a unique song to communicate with and court females.