Invertebrates
Field Cricket
Gryllus campestris
On a warm May evening on a chalk hillside, a male field cricket sits in the mouth of his burrow and sings, falling silent the moment a footstep approaches.
Overview
The field cricket, Gryllus campestris, is a large, glossy black cricket of warm, short grasslands in southern and central Europe, and a critically rare relic in southern England. Its burrow, its song, and its decline in Britain make it one of the best-known endangered insects of the British Isles.
A cricket with a front door
Each field cricket digs and defends its own burrow, and the male uses its mouth as a stage, singing from the doorway to call a mate.
Status
Least Concern across Europe, but critically rare in Britain.
Field Cricket: common questions
Where does the field cricket sing?
The male sings from the entrance of his burrow, a loud, clear, repeated chirp, to attract females.
Why is the field cricket rare in Britain?
It declined with the loss of short, warm grassland, and now survives at a tiny number of sites in southern England.
How long does an adult field cricket live?
Adults appear in May and June and live for only a few weeks.
Where is the field cricket found?
It lives in warm, short, well-drained grasslands and meadows of southern and central Europe, and a tiny remnant in southern England.