Eurasian Smoothwing

Eurasian Smoothwing

Scaeva pyrastri

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Hamburg

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

7 Verified sightings at Hamburg
137 In all 11 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eurasian Smoothwing

Scaeva pyrastri, common name the pied hoverfly, is a species of hoverfly. These hoverflies are present in most of Europe, the Near East, the East Palearctic realm, the Nearctic realm, North Africa, and the Indomalayan realm. In the UK S. pyrastri is a migrant which arrives in some years in high numbers and in others is almost absent.

Scaeva pyrastri can reach a length of 11–15 millimetres (0.43–0.59 in). This large distinctive fly has three pairs of white comma markings (lunules) on the abdomen, these are yellow on Scaeva selenitica. The face is yellow, with reddish brown antennae. The eyes are covered with hair. Scutellum is brown yellow. The legs are red with a black base of the femur. The male's eyes do touch in the centre of the frons, while in the females they are separated.

The larvae are light green or sometimes pink, with a white dorsal longitudinal stripe. This species can be found in gardens, meadows and wasteland. Adults are common visitors to flowers of Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), but also of rape, honeysuckle and daisies. They fly from April to September, with the peak in July and August. The larvae feed on different... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
2 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
3 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
4 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~10%
6 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
7 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
8 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
9 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
10 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
11 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
~10%
3 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
4 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
5 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~10%
6 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
7 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
8 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
9 Athens 🇬🇷 Greece
~10%
10 Cologne 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Eurasian Smoothwing in Hamburg?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Smoothwing sighting in Hamburg on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 294th most-seen of the 423 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Eurasian Smoothwing in Hamburg?

June and July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Smoothwing in Hamburg on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Eurasian Smoothwing?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Smoothwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Hamburg the best place to see a Eurasian Smoothwing?

20th of 27

Of the 27 cities where we can rate Eurasian Smoothwing sightings, Hamburg ranks 20th at under 5%. The best odds are in Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%), Copenhagen (Denmark, about 10%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Eurasian Smoothwing live in Hamburg?

Same family: Syrphidae

The closest relatives of the Eurasian Smoothwing that you can see in Hamburg (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Marmalade Hover Fly (about 20%), Common Drone Fly (about 20%) and Sun Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Eurasian Smoothwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Smoothwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Hamburg (7 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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