Scathophaga stercoraria
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Scathophaga stercoraria, commonly known as the yellow dung fly or the golden dung fly, is one of the most familiar and abundant flies in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. As its common name suggests, it is often found on the feces of large mammals, such as horses, cattle, sheep, deer, and wild boar, where it goes to breed. The distribution of S. stercoraria is likely influenced by human agriculture, especially in northern Europe and North America. The Scathophaga are integral in the animal kingdom due to their role in the natural decomposition of dung in fields. They are also very important in the scientific world due to their short life cycles and susceptibility to experimental manipulations; thus, they have contributed significant knowledge about animal behavior.
Scathophaga stercoraria is sexually dimorphic, with an average lifespan of one to two months. The adult males are bright golden-yellow with orange-yellow fur on the front legs. Females are a little duller in color, with pronounced green-brown tinges, and no brightly colored fur on the front legs. The adults range from 5 to 11 mm in length, and the males are generally larger than the females. The physical... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 5 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 7 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 8 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 9 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Istanbul | 🇹🇷 Turkey |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Dung Fly sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 142nd most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Dung Fly in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and November–March, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden Dung Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Golden Dung Fly sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same order: Diptera
The closest relatives of the Golden Dung Fly that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (order Diptera, Flies) are Tapered Drone Fly (about 20%), Yellow-Barred Peat Hover Fly (about 20%) and Pellucid Hover Fly (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden Dung Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (11 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.
