Black Snipefly

Black Snipefly

Chrysopilus cristatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at London

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

31 Verified sightings at London
8 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black Snipefly

Chrysopilus cristatus, is a species of 'snipe flies' belonging to the family Rhagionidae. This species is present in most of Europe. The flies are 6 to 8 millimeters long. Similar to Chrysopilus erythrophthalmus, but slightly smaller than this species. The males are blackish-brown: the females have obvious yellow-grey dusting. The femora are dark grey. The tibia and metatarsus are yellow. 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 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
4 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
5 Rotterdam [The Hague] 🇳🇱 Netherlands
<5%
6 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black Snipefly in London?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Snipefly sighting in London on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 644th most-seen of the 1504 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 Black Snipefly in London?

June

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Snipefly in London on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Black Snipefly?

Between 1 and 4 pm

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

Is London the best place to see a Black Snipefly?

6th of 6

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Black Snipefly sightings, London ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%), Manchester (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).

Where does the Black Snipefly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black Snipefly is recorded against all the insects logged in London (31 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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