Meloe proscarabaeus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Meloe proscarabaeus is a European oil beetle. It lives in meadows, field margins and other warm sites in all but the far north of the continent. It lacks hind wings and the elytra are correspondingly reduced in size. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 2 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Belgrade | 🇷🇸 Serbia | |
| 4 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Oil Beetle sighting in Białowieża National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 111th most-seen of the 158 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black Oil Beetle in Białowieża National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to March, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Oil Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Black Oil Beetle sightings, Białowieża National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 10%) and Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%).
Same order: Coleoptera
The closest relatives of the Black Oil Beetle that you can see in Białowieża National Park (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are Woodland Dor Beetle (about 50%), The Tanner (about 40%) and European Rose Chafer (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Oil Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Białowieża National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
