Migratory Locust – a Short-Horned Grasshopper

The Migratory Locust (Locusta migratoria) is an insect in the Acrididae family of Short-Horned Grasshoppers.

The Migratory Locust varies in colour from black to brownish to yellowish and green, depending on the colour of the vegetation. Generally, it has a blackish-brown back and light-brown belly and face. It has short antennae. It has long wings and long legs.

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What are the similarities and differences between a Grasshopper and a Locust?

What are the similarities and differences between a Grasshopper and a Locust?

The Grasshopper and the Locust are both insects in the Acrididae family of grasshoppers, groundhoppers, and locusts. They are acridids. 

The Grasshopper has no sub-family, whereas the Locust has three sub-families – 1) Spur-Throated Grasshopper, 2) Band-Winged Grasshopper, and 3) Slant-Faced Grasshopper.

The Grasshopper does not always become a Locust, whereas the Locust is a Grasshopper. 

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The Feet of the Grasshopper

What do the feet of the Grasshopper look like?

The Grasshopper, Cricket, and Locust are insects in the Orthoptera order and the Caelifera suborder, with thousands of different species. Most of them are in the Acridoidea superfamily of grasshoppers and locusts. They are all herbivorous, eating grass and vegetation.

They have six legs with receptors on each leg that can detect movement and vibrations as well as temperature.

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Desert Locust

The Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is an insect, similar to a grasshopper.

The Desert Locust is green, grey or brown to match the colour of the foliage (plants) around them. During the swarming phase, it becomes yellow with dark markings.  When they are grey, their underbelly and face are pink. When they are older, their underbelly is yellow. It has long antennae. It has long wings and long legs.

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Wattled Starling

The Wattled Starling (Creatophora cinerea) is a small African bird. It is also called the Locust Bird.

The Wattled Starling is grey-brown with black wings and a black tail. It has a white rump and short wings. It has a pale pink-white beak, pale pink-grey legs, and dark eyes.

When males are ready to breed, the skin on their heads becomes yellow with twisted black wattles (hanging or drooping skin).

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Egyptian Locust

The Egyptian Locust (Anacridium aegyptium) is an insect in the Acrididae family and Cyrtacanthacridinae family of grasshoppers and locusts. It is also known as the Egyptian Grasshopper.

The Egyptian Locust has a long grey-brown or olive coloured body with a beige-orange strip along its back, called a pronotum. Near the pronotum are several white spots. It has short grey antennae. Its wings are clear with dark marks. Its legs have darker brown bands. It is easily identifiable by the vertical stripes on its large eyes.

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