Orange-Spotted Drone Fly

Orange-Spotted Drone Fly

Eristalis anthophorina

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Minneapolis [Saint Paul]

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

8 Verified sightings at Minneapolis [Saint Paul]
50 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Orange-Spotted Drone Fly

Eristalis anthophorina, the orange-spotted drone fly, is a species of syrphid fly with a Holarctic distribution. It is a common fly in wetlands, including bogs, fens, and woodland pools. In North America, it occurs throughout much of Canada and primarily in the northern parts of the United States. It may be introduced in North America.

This species is Holarctic in distribution. It is widely distributed worldwide in northern North American and Europe. It is a common in wetlands, including bogs, fens, and woodland pools. In North America, it occurs throughout much of Canada and primarily in the northern parts of the United States. It may be introduced in North America.

external map This fly can easily be confused with bumblebees. It reaches around 15 mm (0.6 in) in length. Head The face is reddish-yellow pollinose, with white pilose sides and a shining black median stripe and with black broadly on the cheeks (gena). The antennae are black with the arista reddish and pubescent near the base. The eyes are completely pilose, holoptic in the male.

Thorax The thorax is black with long yellow hairs. The scutellum is wholly yellow, densely covered with... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
3 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Anchorage 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
3 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
6 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
8 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Orange-Spotted Drone Fly in Minneapolis [Saint Paul]?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Spotted Drone Fly sighting in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 458th most-seen of the 672 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 an Orange-Spotted Drone Fly in Minneapolis [Saint Paul]?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Spotted Drone Fly in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see an Orange-Spotted Drone Fly?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange-Spotted Drone 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.

Is Minneapolis [Saint Paul] the best place to see an Orange-Spotted Drone Fly?

6th of 8

Of the 8 cities where we can rate Orange-Spotted Drone Fly sightings, Minneapolis [Saint Paul] ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 10%), Vancouver (Canada, under 5%) and Portland (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Orange-Spotted Drone Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Orange-Spotted Drone Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (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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