Periodical Cicadas features the sounds of millions of periodical cicadas singing en masse. This library has extended drones and screeches, up-close wing-fluttering pass-byes, multiple pharaoh (mating) calls and distant cicadas singing from the treetops. With my latest recordings captured in May 2025, three broods are now featured: Brood XXII was recorded in south Louisiana in 2014, Brood V was recorded in Ohio in 2016 and Brood XIV was recorded in the hollows of West Virginia in 2025.
Periodical cicada choruses can differ in sound from species to species. Throw in variables like wind conditions and where exactly a species sings from, and you have a range of distinct sounds, bordering on the creepy at times, to include in your next insect-ridden project.
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Library Specifics
- 13 files, 2.23 GB, 65 minutes
- Recorded with Sony PCM M10, Sony D100, Sound Devices 702 and Zoom F3 recorders
- Along with Luhd PM-01 AB stereo mics, a pair of Audio Technica 3032 mics in both baffled omni and SASS stereo configurations and a pair of Line Audio CM3 mics in ORTF
- Metadata included (Soundly and BWF)
- UCS compliant
- Free of man-made noise pollution
- No compression was used
Strange Broods
Brood V includes the species Magicicada cassini, Magicicada septendecim, and Magicicada septendecula, according to the University of Connecticut. They emerge once every 17 years. I recorded them in north-central and southeastern Ohio in May and June 2016.
Brood XXII, also known as the Baton Rouge Brood, includes the species Magicicada tredecim, M. tredecassini and M. tredecula, according to the University of Connecticut. These periodical cicadas emerge once every 13 years. I recorded them north of St. Francisville, Louisiana in April 2014.
Brood XIV includes species Magicicada Cassini, M. septendecim and M. septendecula. I recorded them as they emerged in the hollows of West Virginia – near Nitro and Milton – in May 2025. They have a 17-year lifecycle.
Thank you to John Cooley, Associate Professor in Residence, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, for helping me identify each Brood XIV species recorded.
Watch a Brood XIV Cicada in Action
Why are They Called Pharaoh Calls?
A periodical cicada’s high-pitched mating call sounds like the onomatopoeia weeeee-whoa or pha…..raoh, pha…..raoh in repetition. It is a droning sound that drops off sharply. I was able to capture these sounds up close. They’re fascinating to hear at this short distance.
Disregarding the countless cicadas that constantly buzzed my face and crawled all over my gear, I thoroughly enjoyed making this library. It’s a small one packed with a big sound.
Behind the Scenes
I climbed an 80-foot-tall fire tower to be where the cicadas sang their loudest. I also positioned microphones atop wide vistas and open fields adjacent to woods to capture the cicadas’ near-deafening drones.
Field recordist Richard Alan Hannon capturing the droning sound of Brood XXII cicadas outside of St. Francisville, Louisiana on April, 17, 2014. Photo by Denise Porter
Brood V cicadas swarm near a high school soccer field complex in Mansfield, Ohio June 11, 2016. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Sound recording of cicadas along the B&O rails to trails path in Mansfield, Ohio June 5, 2016. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Sound recording of cicadas in an old-growth forested area of Mohican State Park in north central Ohio on June 7, 2016. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Recording the sound of Brood V periodical cicadas in treetops near the fire tower at Mohican State Park in Ohio, Thursday, June 2, 2016. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Periodical cicadas land on my recording gear on June 11, 2016. Photo by Richard Alan Hannon
One more thank you, this time to Marty and Alecia, for allowing me to hang out and record on your property in the hollows of West Virginia. I am fortunate to have such an extended family.