Syrphus rectus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Syrphus rectus, the yellow-legged flower fly, is a species of fly in the family Syrphidae, the hover flies. Syrphus rectus is a common fly in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada and has occasionally been seen in Europe. Like many hoverflies, it has strongly contrasting black and yellow bands on the abdomen.
The adults visit the flowers of plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) and the larvae feed on aphids. The yellow-legged flower fly flies between April and November. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Legged Flower Fly sighting in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 268th 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.
September and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Legged Flower Fly in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] on a given day, against under 5% in November to August, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-Legged Flower Fly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Yellow-Legged Flower Fly sightings, Minneapolis [Saint Paul] ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Boston (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-Legged Flower Fly that you can see in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Margined Calligrapher (about 20%), Narrow-Headed Marsh Fly (about 20%) and Eastern Calligrapher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-Legged Flower Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (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.
