Grasshoppers are a widespread group of insects found in diverse ecosystems globally. Grasshoppers primarily consume plants, making them significant primary consumers within their habitats. Their abundance and tendency to appear in large numbers establish them as a substantial food source for various animals. This makes them a crucial link in many food webs, transferring energy from plants to a wide array of predators.
Birds That Hunt Grasshoppers
Numerous bird species across different sizes and dietary preferences rely on grasshoppers as a food source. Over 200 bird species are known to prey on grasshoppers, including those that primarily eat seeds as adults but feed insects to their young. Small songbirds like sparrows, robins, and wrens actively forage for grasshoppers in foliage or catch them in flight. For example, house wrens use grasshoppers to feed their young, providing an excellent protein source.
Larger birds, such as American crows, blue jays, and blackbirds, also include grasshoppers in their diets. Swallows are expert acrobatic hunters, frequently seen gliding and swooping to catch grasshoppers mid-flight. Even raptors like kestrels and hawks, including Swainson’s hawks, consume large quantities of grasshoppers, especially when they are abundant. Some birds, like shrikes, even have specialized behaviors for handling potentially toxic grasshoppers, impaling them on objects to allow toxins to degrade before consumption.
Mammals and Reptiles as Predators
Grasshoppers also form a part of the diet for various mammals, ranging from small to medium-sized species. Small mammals like shrews, mice, voles, and hedgehogs actively hunt grasshoppers, often consuming them as a central part of their diet. Shrews, for instance, are known to bite off the grasshopper’s head before eating its internal organs. Larger mammals such as foxes, coyotes, badgers, and raccoons also opportunistically prey on grasshoppers, especially when they are plentiful. Raccoons, being nocturnal, might quickly grab grasshoppers using their paws and grind them with their teeth.
Reptiles are another significant group of grasshopper predators, particularly in grassy environments where grasshoppers are common. Lizards, including chameleons, geckos, skinks, and anoles, frequently consume grasshoppers. Chameleons use their long, sticky tongues to capture these insects. Snakes, such as garter snakes and hognose snakes, also eat grasshoppers, often ambushing their prey before swallowing them whole.
Insect and Amphibian Hunters
Insects themselves are formidable predators of grasshoppers, playing a substantial role in population control. Predatory insects like praying mantises use their powerful forelimbs to seize and hold grasshoppers. Beetles, including ground beetles and tiger beetles, prey on grasshoppers at various life stages, with some beetle larvae targeting grasshopper eggs. Wasps, particularly sphecid wasps, hunt grasshoppers, often paralyzing them to feed their larvae. Robber flies, large and powerful insects, capture grasshoppers in flight, injecting enzymes to dissolve their internal organs. Various spider species, such as wolf spiders and orb-weavers, also trap or actively hunt grasshoppers, using venomous silk or direct pursuit.
Amphibians are effective grasshopper predators, especially near water sources. Frogs and toads are opportunistic carnivores that readily consume grasshoppers. They utilize their long, sticky tongues to swiftly snatch these insects. While most grasshoppers are edible for frogs, some species, like the Eastern lubber grasshopper, are toxic and display bright warning coloration, which frogs learn to avoid. Both adult grasshoppers and their smaller nymphs are prey for amphibians, with nymphs being easier targets for smaller frogs.