Scathophaga stercoraria
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 Birmingham on a given day, based on 81 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 122nd most-seen of the 811 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 and May
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Dung Fly in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in January and February, 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.
Yes
Of the 31 cities where we can rate Golden Dung Fly sightings, Birmingham has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Manchester (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same order: Diptera
The closest relatives of the Golden Dung Fly that you can see in Birmingham (order Diptera, 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.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden Dung Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (81 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.
