Head to head
Roesel's Bush-cricket vs Great Green Bush-cricket
Roesel's Bush-cricket
VS Great Green Bush-cricket
Roesel's bush-cricket and the great green bush-cricket are two bush-crickets of European grassland and scrub, and both are heard far more often than seen.
| Roesel's Bush-cricket | Great Green Bush-cricket | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Metrioptera roeselii | Tettigonia viridissima |
| Relationship | A bush-cricket of rough grassland | A bush-cricket of meadows, hedgerows, and scrub |
| Size | About 13 to 26 mm long | Up to around 4 cm long, with very long, thread-like antennae |
| Colour | Brown to olive, with a cream to yellow-green rim around the saddle-shaped pronotum | Bright green, with a brown stripe down the back |
| Song | A long, continuous, high-pitched buzz, like a distant electric wire or a rattle | A loud, continuous, high-pitched trill that carries a long way, especially at dusk and after dark |
| Diet | Grasses and other plants, along with small insects and seeds | Mainly a hunter of other insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars, as well as leaves and flowers |
| Wings | Most are short-winged and cannot fly, but a small proportion are long-winged and can fly | Can jump powerfully with its long hind legs and also fly short distances |
| Conservation status and range | Least Concern, increasing, and expanding across southern and eastern Britain | Not Evaluated, and rare in Britain, where it is mostly found on the south coast |
Roesel's Bush-cricket vs Great Green Bush-cricket: common questions
Which one is bigger?
The great green bush-cricket, which can reach around 4 cm long, while Roesel's bush-cricket is about 13 to 26 mm.
Which one is spreading in Britain?
Roesel's bush-cricket, which has expanded across southern and eastern Britain, whereas the great green bush-cricket remains rare, mostly on the south coast.
Which one is a hunter?
The great green bush-cricket, which is mainly a hunter of other insects, grabbing them with spiny legs and chewing with powerful jaws.