Common Copperback

Common Copperback

Ferdinandea cuprea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Birmingham

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

8 Verified sightings at Birmingham
August Best month

About the Common Copperback

Ferdinandea cuprea is a European species of hoverfly notable for its brassy abdomen. The larvae have been found in sap from trunk damage on oak and ash. Wing length 7·25-11·25 mm. Thorax dorsum black with grey dust, with longitudinal black stripes strong black. Abdomen greenish with dull bands connecting to hind margin. Dark marks on the wings. Arista black.

Palaearctic Fennoscandia South to southern Spain and the Mediterranean basin to Turkey. Ireland East through Central Europe and North Europe to the Pacific coast of Siberia and Japan. Habitat:Populus-Salix, Carpinus-Quercus woodlands, Quercus pubescens and Quercus pyrenaica forest and Betula forest. Usually on the trunks of standing, live trees, or on the cut ends of stacked logs, in glades, or at the edge of clearings and along tracks or at sap runs.

Flowers visited include Convolvulus, Crataegus, Hieracium, Leontodon, Lonicera, Mentha, Oenothera, Prunus cerasus, Ranunculus, Rosa, Rubus fruticosus, Sonchus, Taraxacum, Ulmus.... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
2 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Copperback in Birmingham?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Copperback sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 563rd most-seen of the 811 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Copperback in Birmingham?

May and August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Copperback in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and September–April, the lowest months.

Is Birmingham the best place to see a Common Copperback?

Among the best

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Common Copperback sightings, Birmingham ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in London (United Kingdom, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Common Copperback live in Birmingham?

Same family: Syrphidae

The closest relatives of the Common Copperback that you can see in Birmingham (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Yellow-Haired Sun Fly (about 40%), Marmalade Hover Fly (about 30%) and Tapered Drone Fly (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Common Copperback sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Copperback is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (8 verified sightings), 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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