Hook-Barred Spearhorn

Hook-Barred Spearhorn

Chrysotoxum festivum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Birmingham

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

22 Verified sightings at Birmingham
5 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Hook-Barred Spearhorn

Chrysotoxum festivum is a species of hoverfly. External images For terms see Morphology of Diptera Wing length 8·25–12 mm. Wing with a small, square, dark spot. Thorax with two grey longitudinal stripes. Katepisternum normally with yellow spot. Apical antennomere shorter than antennomeres 1 and 2 together.

Keys and accounts Coe R.L. (1953) Syrphidae Van Veen, M. (2004) Hoverflies of Northwest Europe Van der Goot, V.S. (1981) De zweefvliegen van Noordwest - Europa en Europees Rusland, in het bijzonder van de Benelux Bei-Bienko, G.Y. & Steyskal, G.C. (1988) Keys to USSR insects. Diptera

Palaearctic Fennoscandia South to Iberia and the Mediterranean basin. Ireland eastwards through Europe into Greece, Turkey and European Russia then through Siberia to the Pacific coast. Japan. North India. Habitat :Deciduous woodland clearings and open areas in scrub woodland. Grassland with scrub. Flowers visited include white umbellifers, Calluna, Chaerophyllum, Cirsium arvense, Euphorbia, Galium, Hieracium, Hypochoeris, Narthecium, Origanum, Potentilla erecta, Ranunculus, Rosa rugosa, Rubus idaeus, Sambucus nigra, Senecio, Solidago canadensis... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
4 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
5 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
6 Stockholm 🇸🇪 Sweden
<5%
7 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
8 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
<5%
9 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
<5%
10 Saint Petersburg 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Hook-Barred Spearhorn in Birmingham?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hook-Barred Spearhorn sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 321st most-seen of the 811 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Hook-Barred Spearhorn in Birmingham?

May to August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hook-Barred Spearhorn in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Hook-Barred Spearhorn?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hook-Barred Spearhorn sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Birmingham the best place to see a Hook-Barred Spearhorn?

Among the best

Of the 11 cities where we can rate Hook-Barred Spearhorn sightings, Birmingham ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Manchester (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).

Where does the Hook-Barred Spearhorn sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Hook-Barred Spearhorn is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (22 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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