Are There Cicadas in New York?
Yes, cicadas are common throughout New York state, especially during summer months. These large insects with distinctive calls are found from Long Island through the Hudson Valley and into the Catskill region. You will hear them most often in July and August when the annual varieties emerge. Periodical cicadas occasionally arrive in specific years.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself. Updated July 22, 2026.
Cassin's 17-year Cicada · Nick Tobler (Cowturtle) CC BY
Dark Lyric Cicada · Cecil Smith CC BY
Prairie Cicada · Peter Chen 2.0 CC BY
- 8
- species recorded
- 1,928
- GBIF records
- August, July, September
- peak months
Yes, cicadas are in New York. Next you'll want:
Real sighting data, source iNaturalist
5,942 verified observations on iNaturalist of cicada have been recorded in New York, most often in August, July, September.
When cicada are recorded in New York
Yes, cicadas are common throughout New York state, especially during summer months. These large insects with distinctive calls are found from Long Island through the Hudson Valley and into the Catskill region. You will hear them most often in July and August when the annual varieties emerge. Periodical cicadas occasionally arrive in specific years.
Where Cicadas Are Found in New York
Cicadas live throughout most of New York state. You can find them from the coastal plain of Long Island all the way north into the Adirondack foothills. The Hudson Valley supports healthy populations, as do the Catskill Mountains and the regions around the Finger Lakes. Cicadas prefer wooded areas with plenty of trees, so they are less common in heavily developed urban centers but still appear in parks and tree-lined neighborhoods. In western New York, cicadas are found from Buffalo through the rolling hills east of Lake Erie and into the Allegany region. They survive well in the state's diverse habitats because they have deep underground roots that tap into moisture even during dry periods. Visit/wildlife/new-yorkto explore other insects and animals you might encounter. The/wildlifehub offers guides to many regional species.
Seasonal Timing and Activity
Annual cicadas in New York emerge in late June and peak from July through August. The exact timing depends on soil temperature reaching about 64 degrees Fahrenheit consistently. Most years, you will notice them most heavily in mid-July when the chorus of males calling is loudest. By late August and September, their numbers drop off quickly as they begin to die off naturally. Periodical cicadas follow a different schedule. The 17-year brood occasionally emerges in parts of New York, though not every year or every part of the state. When periodical cicadas do appear, they emerge in enormous numbers over a period of several weeks. Their arrival is predictable based on past records, so entomologists can forecast which regions will see them years in advance. This makes them easier to study and observe. For more on cicada in New York, see ourNew York cicada guide.
How to Identify a Cicada
Cicadas are large insects, roughly 1 to 2 inches long, with stout bodies that look almost bug-like and hard-shelled. Their wings are transparent or slightly smoky, held tent-like over their backs when at rest. Most New York cicadas are dark brown or black with reddish or orange tints on their eyes and wing margins. The abdomen has distinctive segmented bands. Males have a special sound-producing organ on their abdomen that creates their loud buzzing call. You can tell males from females because females lack this organ. The call is the easiest way to identify them. It sounds like a loud buzzing or droning noise that rises and falls. Once you hear a cicada, you will recognize the sound forever. They produce noise during the day, especially in hot afternoons, and stop calling as evening cools down. You can also browseNew York wildlife.
Where Sightings Concentrate in New York
Cicadas cluster wherever oak trees, maples, and other sturdy hardwoods grow thick. This includes state parks like Bear Mountain Park in Rockland County and the forests around the Catskill Mountains. They are abundant in Central Park and other large New York City parks during peak season. The Hudson Valley from the Palisades north through the Mid-Hudson region hosts reliable populations. The Finger Lakes area, surrounded by deciduous forest, supports many cicadas. The Adirondack foothills and the transition zone between hardwood forest and conifer forest often have good numbers. Suburban neighborhoods with mature shade trees attract them reliably. Even smaller parks and cemeteries with established trees can host them. The drier, sandier soils of Long Island and western New York support annual cicadas well. View the/wildlife/new-york/cicadaguide for more details specific to your region.
Typical Cicada Behavior
Cicadas spend most of their lives underground as nymphs feeding on plant roots. They can remain underground for several years before emerging as adults. Once above ground, they must shed their hard outer skin, called an exoskeleton, to reveal their wings. This molting happens on tree trunks and branches, and you can find the hollow tan or brown shells they leave behind. After molting, their bodies harden over several days while they hide in trees. Males then begin calling to attract females. The call is their primary behavior and serves only one purpose: reproduction. Females do not call. After mating, females lay eggs inside tree twigs, and the cycle begins again. Adult cicadas feed by inserting a tube-like mouthpart into tree bark and drawing sap. This feeding does little damage to healthy trees. Most cicadas live only four to six weeks as adults.
Coexistence and Safety Notes
Cicadas pose no danger to people. They do not bite, sting, or carry disease. They are not aggressive and have no defense mechanism against humans. Many people enjoy watching and listening to them as a sign of summer. In some years, cicada emergence can be so heavy that people find the noise bothersome, but this is temporary and natural. Damage to trees from cicada egg-laying is usually minimal on healthy, established trees. Young or stressed trees may suffer more if populations are very high, but New York's forests are generally resilient. Cicadas are protected as wildlife and cannot be legally harmed without justification. They are an important food source for birds and other animals. They recycle nutrients by returning to the soil when they die. Many people view cicadas as part of healthy forest ecology. The/wildlife/new-yorkhub includes information on forest conservation and wildlife coexistence.
Species Often Confused With Cicadas
Grasshoppers look similar at first glance but are much smaller and have long back legs built for jumping. Cicadas have short legs and cannot jump. Katydids are another common confusion. They are green, make a different rattling sound, and are more active at night. Cicadas are darker and call during the day. Locusts are actually grasshoppers and are not related to cicadas at all, despite the shared common name in some regions. Some large beetles, especially long-horned beetles, can look like cicadas, but beetles have hard wing covers that meet in a line down the middle of the back. Cicada wings overlap and are transparent. The large wasp-like insects called cicada killer wasps are predators of cicadas but are not cicadas themselves. They are much larger and have bright yellow and black markings. Once you see a real cicada and hear it call, the confusion ends quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are cicadas dangerous to people? No, cicadas are completely harmless to humans. They cannot bite or sting, and they have no venom. They are interested only in trees and in finding mates. Why do cicadas make so much noise? Male cicadas call to attract females for mating. The sound is loud because it has to carry through dense trees to reach potential mates. Females do not call. How long do cicadas live? Adult cicadas live only four to six weeks above ground. Underground as nymphs, they can live for two to five years depending on the species, waiting for the right conditions to emerge. Will cicadas damage my trees? Most healthy trees suffer no lasting damage from cicadas. Young or weak trees may lose some branches if cicada populations are extremely high, but this is rare in New York.
Plan your cicada sighting in New York
1,928 verified cicada records have been logged in New York, most recently in 2026. See the GBIF records.
Where to look in New York
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail · Wildlife Watching, Birdwatching · Find hotels
- Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail · Wildlife Watching, Birdwatching · Find hotels
- Chesapeake Bay · Wildlife Watching · Find hotels
- Fire Island National Seashore · Wildlife Watching, Birdwatching · Find hotels
- Martin Van Buren National Historic Site · Wildlife Watching, Birdwatching · Find hotels
- National Parks of New York Harbor · Wildlife Watching, Birdwatching · Find hotels
More places to see cicada
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