The insect that produces a chirping sound by rubbing its wings together is the cricket. Most singing crickets are males, which raise and scrape their leathery forewings against each other in a process called stridulation. A file-like row of ridges on one wing meets a scraper on the other, creating vibrations that are amplified by specialized wing structures.
The song is mainly a courtship signal that attracts females, although crickets also use sounds in territorial interactions. Crickets are usually most vocal at night, when their calls can carry through grass, gardens, forests, and other habitats. They detect sound with tympanal organs located on their front legs.
Crickets are often confused with katydids and grasshoppers, which are also capable of making sounds by rubbing body parts together. Cicadas usually produce their loud calls with vibrating membranes called tymbals on the abdomen, rather than by rubbing their wings. Temperature also affects cricket song: warmer conditions generally make calling faster.