Eastern Flower Fly

Eastern Flower Fly

Syrphus knabi

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Montreal

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

19 Verified sightings at Montreal
5 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eastern Flower Fly

Syrphus knabi (Shannon, 1916), the Eastern flower Fly, is an uncommon species of syrphid fly observed in the eastern United States and Canada. Syrphid flies are also known as Hover Flies or Flower Flies because the adults are frequently found hovering around flowers from which they feed on nectar and pollen. Adults are 7.2–12.9 mm (0.28–0.51 in) long. The larvae are predators of a variety of aphids in trees.

For terminology Speight key to genera and glossary Size Length. 7.2–12.9 mm (0.28–0.51 in) Head The male has bare eyes that are holoptic, meaning that the eyes are completely joined together. The frons is yellow and is yellow pollinose on the upper two-thirds with a pair of brown anterior spots on the lower one-third. It has a bluish green reflection, a black spot above each antenna, and fine, rather long black hairs that continue a short distance down between the antennae and eyes. In the female, the frons is black and sparsely pruinose on the upper one-quarter, otherwise mostly yellow, densely yellow pruinose, and commonly slightly darkened medially. The anterior part is narrowly shining yellow and has a pair of brown anterior spots. The width of the frons... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
2 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
5 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Eastern Flower Fly in Montreal?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Flower Fly sighting in Montreal on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 377th most-seen of the 926 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 Eastern Flower Fly in Montreal?

July

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Flower Fly in Montreal on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Eastern Flower Fly?

Between 7 and 10 am

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

Is Montreal the best place to see an Eastern Flower Fly?

Yes

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Eastern Flower Fly sightings, Montreal has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Boston (United States, under 5%) and Washington (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Eastern Flower Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eastern Flower Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Montreal (19 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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