Milesia crabroniformis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Milesia crabroniformis is a species of flower flies or hoverflies belonging to the family Syrphidae subfamily Eristalinae. This species is mainly present in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, in the Near East and in North Africa.
The adults of Milesia crabroniformis grow up to 22–25 millimetres (0.87–0.98 in) long. These rather uncommon hoverflies are the largest among the European species. They show a yellow face, reddish femurs, a yellow-brown abdomen and its wings are shaded with yellow-orange. Eyes of males are holoptic, although they meet along the dorsal length of the head in a very low point of contact.
They mimic the hornet species Vespa crabro (hence the Latin name crabroniformis, meaning ‘hornet-formed’). It is also very similar to Volucella zonaria, a smaller syrphid. Adults can mainly be encountered from June through October, with a peak at the end of August. They inhabit evergreen and deciduous forests (Quercus and Fagus species), feeding on nectar of flowers of several plants (Apiaceae species, Lythrum salicaria, Mentha aquatica, Sambucus ebulus, Hedera species, Cirsium species, etc.).
Their... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Milesia crabroniformis sighting in Cévennes National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 165th most-seen of the 996 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.
July to October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Milesia crabroniformis in Cévennes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to June, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Milesia crabroniformis 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 3 parks where we can rate Milesia crabroniformis sightings, Cévennes National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Pyrénées National Park (France, about 10%) and Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (Spain, under 5%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Milesia crabroniformis that you can see in Cévennes National Park (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 20%), Hornet Mimic Hover Fly (about 10%) and Marmalade Hover Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Milesia crabroniformis is recorded against all the insects logged in Cévennes National Park (43 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.
