Forest Bug

Forest Bug

Pentatoma rufipes

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Cairngorms National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

51 Verified sightings at Cairngorms National Park From 2019 to 2026
518 In all 18 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Forest Bug

The forest bug or red-legged shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes) is a species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae, commonly found in most of Europe. It inhabits forests, woodlands, orchards, and gardens. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~30%
2 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~30%
3 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
4 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
5 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
6 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
7 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~20%
8 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
~20%
9 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
10 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
11 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
12 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
13 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
14 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
15 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
16 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
17 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
18 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hamburg 🇩🇪 Germany
~30%
2 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
3 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
4 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
5 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
6 Munich 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
7 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~20%
8 Stockholm 🇸🇪 Sweden
~20%
9 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
10 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Forest Bug in Cairngorms National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Bug sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 51 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 28th most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Forest Bug in Cairngorms National Park?

June–July and September

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Bug in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Forest Bug?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Forest Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the Forest Bug live in Cairngorms National Park?

Same order: Hemiptera

The closest relatives of the Forest Bug that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Birch Shield Bug (about 20%), Hawthorn Shield Bug (about 10%) and Meadow Plant Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Forest Bug sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Forest Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (51 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.

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