In 2024, periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) made headlines. A massive emergence occurred in the Midwest and southeastern United States when two broods (Brood XIII and XIX) lined up with one another and emerged in the same summer. Periodical cicada broods emerge on 17 or 13-year cycles, depending on the species, and in 2024 a 17-year brood and a 13-year brood lined up. While Massachusetts was not part of the “super brood” last year, in 2025 Cape Cod will be buzzing. And birders should be on the lookout too.
Swallow-tailed Kite eating a periodical cicada on Cape Cod. Photograph by Brian Rusnica.
Brood XIV, a 17-year brood, will emerge in late May and June of 2025. In Massachusetts only Northern Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas (M. septendecim) are known to occur, and our section of the brood is restricted mostly to the upper and mid-Cape (map of Brood XIV). Since this will not happen in Massachusetts again until 2042, this is a great opportunity to document how birds take advantage of this abundant food source and what species are eating periodical cicadas. So far this year, both Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites (both on the MARC review-list) have already been observed eating periodical cicadas on Cape Cod!
Magicicada septendecim. Photograph by Gray Catanzaro.
Because the abundance of these insects during the breeding season provides an easy food source, the emergence of periodical cicada broods typically bolsters local bird populations. Certain species such as cuckoos, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Common Grackles, and Brown-headed Cowbirds tend to have significant population increases during the year of, or several subsequent years following a cicada emergence (Koenig and Liebhold 2005). Making complete eBird checklists and documenting which species are eating periodical cicadas (in your notes or photo captions) can help contribute to data like this.
In May of this year, Swallow-tailed Kites on Cape Cod were observed copulating and carrying nesting material. These behaviors strongly suggest that they are attempting to nest in the area. Large insects are a significant portion of the diet of Swallow-tailed Kites (Meyer 2020), so the presence of periodical cicadas this year could be the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful breeding attempt. Mississippi Kites, which have a similar diet, may also have an increased likelihood of breeding success this year. This species has been expanding its range significantly in the last few years and has bred in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Given the breeding records in nearby states and the abundance of food this summer, chances seem better for Massachusetts as well!
Not only are bird populations affected by these emergences, but their foraging behavior is as well. In 1923, hundreds of Laughing Gulls were observed inland in Hatchville, Falmouth feeding on the periodical cicadas. In Teaticket, Falmouth the Laughing Gulls were joined by Common and Roseate Terns, which were observed flying low through bushes and vegetation to catch cicadas (Forbush 1924). In the same year, Laughing Gulls nesting on Muskeget Island, Nantucket were observed feeding their chicks periodical cicadas (Forbush 1924). There are no periodical cicadas on Nantucket and the nearest population on Cape Cod was around 20 miles away, so the gulls were making this journey to forage for cicadas and bring them back to their chicks. In 1985, Red-winged Blackbirds in Arkansas were observed learning how to hunt periodical cicadas as the summer progressed. The birds would hold the cicadas, wait for them to buzz, and if they did not, the Red-winged Blackbirds would eat the cicadas knowing that females are silent, and also contain nutritious eggs (Smith 2009).
Great-crested Flycatcher eating a periodical cicada on Cape Cod. Photograph by Allison McCumber.
Technology has improved significantly in the last 17 years, so it is currently easier than ever to document periodical cicadas in Massachusetts using sites like iNaturalist and eBird, especially with eBird’s new checklist media feature. Birders on Cape Cod in the next few months should be on the lookout for birds eating periodical cicadas. If you see birds predating on cicadas, photographs and detailed descriptions of these behaviors are especially useful and should be included in eBird checklists. Even birders away from the areas of emergence should be on the lookout as demonstrated by the Laughing Gulls on Muskeget!
Literature Cited
- Forbush, E.H. 1924. Gulls and Terns Feeding on the Seventeen-year Cicada, The Auk, 41(3). https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/auk/vol41/iss3/11
- Koenig, W.D. and Liebhold, A.M. 2005. EFFECTS OF PERIODICAL CICADA EMERGENCES ON ABUNDANCE AND SYNCHRONY OF AVIAN POPULATIONS. Ecology, 86(7). https://doi.org/10.1890/04-1175
- Meyer, K.D. 2020. Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.swtkit.01
- Smith, K.G. 2009. Cornucopia: Birds and Periodical Cicadas. Bird Observer, 37(3). https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/bird_observer/vol37/iss3/5