Bird Grasshopper
Heteracris sp.
This grasshopper was attracted to light near Lake Baringo, Kenya. March 2016. Identification to genus was suggested by Jacques Mestre.
The Desert Locust, Schistocerca gregaria, is similar to this one, but with even longer wings. The grasshopper shown here is also capable of flight, but in the range of tens of kilometers. Despite the name "grass"-hopper these insects feed on a wide variety of plants and frequently find the sweet cultivated varieties very agreeable. This large grasshopper is marked with light yellow-brown, dark brown, reddish brown and gray.