Voice of the Wild

(Note: this episode was originally published in May 2024 as a bonus episode and was re-published in September 2024 as a regular episode.  In the future, chorus and other group-ID episodes will be published as regular episodes while bonus episodes will be reserved for storytelling.)

Learn to identify the seven species of periodical cicada (Magicicada) by their song. 

For a few weeks in 2024 all seven species of periodical cicada will be calling from different areas of Illinois. The collective chorus of these cicada broods can be deafening, but like any natural chorus, it consists of individual and identifiable singers. In this episode we’ll learn the handful of songs you can hear during 2024’s rare double emergence. 

The sounds used for this episode are from the University of Connecticut’s Magicicada informational website, which can be found here. 

 

Illinois Brood range map and other periodical cicada information here. 

More general information on Cicadas here. 

 

-Decim group reproductive displacement from University of Connecticut here. 

 

University of Connecticut’s Magicicada species pages can be accessed here. 

 

See my colleagues over at Good Growing eat cicadas here. 

Do you want to learn more bird songs, frog calls, and insect noises? Join Voice of the Wild every Friday to explore a new wild voice. From time to time, we’ll also do a deep dive into wildlife science, news, and natural history. Voice of the Wild is a service of Illinois Extension’s Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy program. 

Available on most podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. 

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