Decoding Cicada Songs: Why They’re So Loud and How They Rule Summer
Discover the hidden anatomy behind nature’s most powerful insect performance.
Cicadas: The Summer’s Great Soundtrack
Every summer, as temperatures climb and daylight lingers, a distinctive soundtrack hums across many landscapes in North America and around the globe—the chorus of cicadas. These ancient insects have fascinated naturalists, musicians, and summer-soaked audiences for centuries, not only for their unique life cycles, but for the overwhelming and distinctive nature of their calls. But why do cicadas make such a racket? How do they produce those tumultuous waves of sound that fill the air, sometimes louder than a jackhammer? This article dives into the mechanics and mysteries of cicada songs, explaining key facts, answering burning questions, and offering surprising insights into why these insects are the ultimate summer sound machines.
Why Are Cicadas So Loud?
Cicadas are some of the loudest insects on Earth, capable of producing sounds reaching up to 120 decibels—equivalent to a chainsaw or a rock concert at close range. In periods of peak emergence, choruses can even reach the threshold of human pain if you’re standing nearby. But what gives them these powerful voices?
- Purpose of Sound: The main reason for the volume is evolutionarily practical—males produce these deafening calls to attract female cicadas for mating.
- Sound Intensity: High sound intensity helps males overcome the noise of competing species and the ambient sounds of their environment, effectively broadcasting their availability over long distances.
- Safety in Numbers: A larger, louder group can also confuse predators, ensuring better chances for survival and successful mating for individuals inside the swarm.
How Do Cicadas Actually Make Their Sound?
Unlike crickets, cicadas don’t use their wings to produce sound. The magic of cicada music lies in a unique anatomical feature—the tymbals.
- Tymbals: Thin, ribbed membranes on either side of the male cicada’s abdomen.
- Mechanism: Muscles contract and buckle these tymbals rapidly (hundreds of times per second), creating click-like pulses that blend into continuous buzzing to human ears.
- The Amplifier: The male cicada’s abdomen is nearly hollow, functioning like a resonant sound chamber. With each contraction, sound reverberates within, amplifying the intensity of the call.
- Trachea Reinforcement: The cicada’s trachea (air tubes) are hollow too, further boosting both volume and resonance.
- Body Position: By shifting their abdomen position, cicadas can direct or modulate sound waves, adding nuance to their song and adjusting volume or tone as needed.
The Many Sounds of Cicadas: Not Just a Buzz
Though all cicada sounds can seem like one overwhelming chorus to the casual listener, different species—and even different occasions—prompt distinct noises and rhythms.
- Mating Songs: The classic droning or buzzing, varying by species, is used to attract mates.
- Courtship Snippets: After drawing in a female, males may switch to a quieter or slightly different ‘courtship song’ to seal the deal before mating.
- Distress Calls: If threatened or seized by a predator, cicadas can emit erratic, broken sounds as an alarm.
- Encounter Calls: Quick, specific noises used in social situations, like when males interact closely during choruses.
Interestingly, while only males produce the classic songs with their tymbals, females also communicate. In many species, females signal back to males by snapping their wings, creating a clicking noise that tells an interested male that she is nearby and receptive.
Cicada Species: A Symphony of Variety
Cicada songs may sound similar on the surface, but each species has its own distinctive tune. For example, in North America, the famous ‘periodical cicadas’—which include the Magicicada genera—come in both 13-year and 17-year cycles. Each species produces:
- Unique pitches and rhythm patterns
- Slightly different buzzing, clicking, or rattling
- Group choruses that vary both by region and by brood
Experts can often identify species and even subspecies simply by analyzing sound frequencies and patterns. The unique acoustic fingerprint helps prevent cross-breeding and ensures a female is drawn to the right kind of mate each summer.
When and Where Will You Hear Cicada Choruses?
What others are reading
The timing of the cicada chorus depends on the species’ life cycle and the weather. Most cicadas emerge when soil temperatures consistently reach about 64 degrees Fahrenheit (roughly 18°C), usually in late spring or early summer. Within days, males ascend trees, gather in sunlit spots, and begin to sing.
- Peak Activity: Warm, sunny afternoons and early evenings sound the loudest choruses, with activity tapering off by night.
- Locations: Deciduous forests, suburban neighborhoods, parks, and anywhere with mature trees host the densest choruses.
Why Can’t You Find the Source of a Cicada Sound?
Many people find it nearly impossible to locate a cicada by sound alone. This is because:
- Pitch and Direction: The nearly constant pitch and wide dispersal of their calls make it difficult for human ears to triangulate the source.
- Collective Volume: With hundreds or thousands singing simultaneously, the noise seems to come from everywhere at once, creating an auditory ‘fog.’
Female Cicadas: Do They Make Noise, Too?
While male cicadas are the primary singers, female cicadas do participate in their own, subtler form of insect music:
- Wing Clicks: Female responses take the form of sharp ‘clicks’ created by flicking their wings, which indicates interest to a specific male’s call.
- Purpose: This back-and-forth communication fine-tunes which males get to mate, ensuring evolutionary fitness for the next generation.
Are Cicada Songs Harmful or Helpful to Us?
While they can be extraordinarily loud, cicada choruses are not dangerous for most people, though a close encounter with a particularly shrill cicada could theoretically cause hearing discomfort or damage.
- Ecological Importance: Cicada songs are a crucial part of local ecosystems. The calls serve as cues for predators and parasites as well as mates, and their periodic emergences provide food for birds, mammals, and other hungry neighbors.
- Human Response: Some find the cacophony soothing or nostalgic—a sign of summer—while others may find it overwhelming or even irritating. The diversity of reactions is as remarkable as the insects themselves.
What Makes Cicada Song Unique Among Insects?
| Insect | Sound-Producing Mechanism | Volume (approx.) | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cicada | Tymbals (ribbed abdomen membranes) | Up to 120 dB | Mating call, distress, group coordination |
| Cricket | Stridulation (rubbing wings together) | ~55-80 dB | Mating, territory |
| Katydid | Stridulation (wing rubbing) | ~60 dB | Mating, communication |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Why do cicadas all seem to sing at once?
A: Cicadas often synchronize their songs in choruses, which makes the overall noise greater and helps attract females over longer distances. This mass singing also makes it harder for predators to target a single insect.
Q: How long does a cicada chorus last?
A: Cicada choruses can last from several minutes to hours, usually peaking in the heat of the day and dwindling by nighttime as temperatures cool.
Q: Are all cicada species equally loud?
A: Volume and pitch vary by species. Some, like Magicicada cassini, are particularly high-pitched and intense, while others emit softer hums or buzzes. Many species have unique songs for recognition during mating seasons.
Q: Can cicada noise damage human hearing?
A: Cicadas can reach volumes that are technically capable of causing hearing damage up close (over 110 dB). However, such proximity is rare, and usual exposure through outdoor listening is not harmful for most people.
Q: Do cicadas sing every year?
A: Some species, called ‘annual cicadas,’ emerge every year and form smaller, more localized choruses. ‘Periodical cicadas,’ such as those on 17-year or 13-year cycles, appear in massive numbers on their emergence years, resulting in the loudest and most widespread choruses.
The Enduring Mystery and Beauty of Cicada Song
Long before humans recorded music, cicadas filled the world with sound. Their songs are among nature’s oldest and most spectacular communication feats—serving both to attract mates and to shape entire ecological cycles. While their chorus may seem otherworldly, it’s a yearly or periodic reminder of the deep, complex connections between insects and the world they inhabit.
So next time a wall of sound rises up from the trees, listen close. You’re not just hearing insects: you’re experiencing one of the Earth’s best natural concerts—a biological marvel with a million performers.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
- https://askabiologist.asu.edu/cicada-sound
- https://cicadas.uconn.edu/behavior/
- https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-periodical-cicadas-sound-loud/
- https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/cicadas/
- https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/cicadas/
- https://www.cicadamania.com
- https://visitjelsa.hr/en/6311/cicadas-the-characteristic-sound-of-summer/
- https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2021/07/20/noise-myths-cicada/
Similar Articles
Read full bio of Sneha Tete
