What Sound Do Cicadas Make?

If you are wondering what sound cicadas make, the short answer is a loud, vibrating buzz, hum, or whine that can swell into a steady chorus on hot summer days. Some species sound like an electric buzz saw, others like a high-pitched siren, and periodical cicadas can fill an entire neighborhood with noise. That sound is not random, it is a mating call that helps males attract females and compete with other males.

What cicadas sound like

Cicadas are known for a piercing, rhythmic sound that carries far across trees, lawns, and backyards. The exact sound depends on the species, but most people describe it as buzzing, droning, rattling, or a rising whine. When many cicadas call at once, the sound becomes a dense wall of noise that can seem to vibrate in your chest.

Common ways people describe the sound

If you are trying to describe the sound of cicadas, these words fit well: buzz, hum, whirr, hiss, whine, drone, and mechanical rattle. Some sounds are sharp and electric, while others are smooth and steady. In a tree-filled area, the chorus can feel like the whole canopy is humming.

What the sound is called

The sound cicadas make is called a calling song or, more broadly, a mating call. Male cicadas produce it to attract females and signal to other males. People also refer to the sound itself as a cicada chorus when many insects are calling together.

How cicadas make sound

Cicadas make sound with special organs called tymbals, which are ribbed, drum-like membranes on the sides of the abdomen. The cicada pulls these membranes inward and releases them very quickly, creating a rapid clicking pattern that becomes the loud buzz we hear. A hollow body chamber amplifies the sound, which is why cicadas can be so loud for such a small insect.

Why males make the noise

Only male cicadas sing. The sound is a courtship signal, and each species has its own pattern. Females do not sing in the same way, but they respond by moving toward the right call or choosing a male with the correct song. That species-specific pattern helps cicadas find mates of their own kind.

How loud they can be

Some cicada species can reach around 100 decibels, which is close to the level of a motorcycle at short range. That is why cicadas can overpower conversation in a yard or park. The loudness is not a warning to people, it is a breeding signal built to travel through leaves, branches, and summer air.

When cicadas make noise and how long it lasts

Cicadas make noise during the warmest parts of the day, with the strongest chorus in late morning through afternoon. Heat powers their muscles and makes singing easier, so hot, sunny weather brings the loudest activity. On cool or cloudy days, the sound drops off fast.

How long cicadas sing each day

Individual males can call for long stretches while they are active, but the full neighborhood chorus rises and falls with temperature and daylight. At night, most cicadas go quiet. The main exception is some tropical species, but in the United States the familiar summer sound belongs to daytime.

How long the season lasts

The season can last a few weeks for annual cicadas, and much longer for the emergence period of periodical cicadas. Even during a large emergence, the heaviest noise lasts for a limited window while adults are alive, mating, and laying eggs. Once the adults die off, the sound fades quickly.

Why cicadas make so much noise

Cicadas make so much noise because the signal has to compete with wind, leaves, birds, and other insects. Loud sound travels farther in open tree canopies, and a strong call helps a male reach females that are spread across a large area. In mass emergences, the combined chorus also overwhelms predators and makes any one male harder to isolate.

Why the noise sounds nonstop

What sounds nonstop to people is really many males calling in overlapping bursts. One cicada pauses while another starts, and the effect is a continuous sheet of sound. In a big swarm, the volume does not come from one insect alone, it comes from hundreds or thousands singing at once.

Why people notice it so strongly

Cicada calls sit in a high, repetitive range that human ears pick up easily. The sound cuts through background noise and feels especially intense in still air. That is why a summer grove or suburban street can seem suddenly alive with noise even when you only see a few insects.

What cicadas do, how they behave, and where you hear them

Cicadas live in trees and shrubs, where they feed on plant fluids and rest on bark, stems, and leaves. Adults spend much of their time above ground, climbing, calling, mating, and laying eggs in woody plant tissue. Their loudest periods happen where there are mature trees, because that is where the adults gather and call.

Life cycle in brief

Cicadas begin as eggs laid in small slits cut into twigs. The nymphs hatch, drop to the soil, and spend years underground feeding on root fluids. When they mature, they emerge, shed their skins, and become winged adults. That dramatic emergence is what creates the famous summer chorus.

Behavior and ecosystem role

Cicadas are food for birds, mammals, reptiles, and spiders, and they provide a seasonal pulse of protein for many predators. Their underground nymph stage helps move nutrients through soil, and their dead bodies return nitrogen to the ecosystem. They are loud, conspicuous, and important parts of forest and backyard food webs.

How to identify a cicada by sound

If you hear a loud buzzing in a tree and the sound rises and falls in bursts, cicadas are a good suspect. Their call is steadier and less musical than a cricket song, and it is much louder than a grasshopper’s chirp. The sound often comes from high branches in full sun, not from the ground or grass.

Quick sound clues

• A steady buzz that resembles an electrical hum
• A vibrating, rattling, or whirring tone from tree canopies
• A sudden chorus that grows as the day warms
• A sound that stops quickly at dusk or in cooler weather

Sound versus sight

When you finally spot the insect, cicadas are large, thick-bodied, with clear wings held roof-like over the body. That size helps explain the volume. Their shape, tree habit, and loud daytime chorus make them easy to separate from smaller singing insects.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do cicadas make sound?

Male cicadas make sound by flexing tymbals, ribbed membranes on the sides of the abdomen. The rapid in-and-out movement creates clicks that the body amplifies into a loud call. This is a built-in mating signal, not a wing rub like crickets use.

What do cicadas sound like?

Cicadas sound like a loud buzz, whine, or electric drone. A single cicada can sound sharp and mechanical, while a group sounds like a summer chorus filling the trees. The sound is more continuous than the broken chirps people expect from smaller insects.

Why do cicadas make noise?

Male cicadas make noise to attract females and announce their species to other cicadas. The call helps them find mates in a wide area and compete with other males. In large numbers, the sound also becomes part of their defense through sheer volume.

What sound does cicadas make called?

The sound is called a calling song or mating call. When many males sing together, people call it a cicada chorus. Both terms describe the same basic behavior, which is male courtship singing.

How long do cicadas make noise?

They make noise during the adult stage, which lasts weeks for annual cicadas and a limited season for periodical cicadas after emergence. Each day, the sound is strongest in warm daylight hours and fades at night. The adult chorus ends when the adults die off.