Giant Crane Fly

Giant Crane Fly

Tipula abdominalis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Philadelphia

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

10 Verified sightings at Philadelphia
44 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Giant Crane Fly

Tipula abdominalis, the giant crane fly, is a species of large crane flies in the family Tipulidae. T. abdominalis lives in riparian aquatic habitats as a larva, feeding on leaf litter digested by their hind gut microbiota. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Giant Crane Fly in Philadelphia?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Crane Fly sighting in Philadelphia on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 376th most-seen of the 632 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 a Giant Crane Fly in Philadelphia?

September and October

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Crane Fly in Philadelphia on a given day, against under 5% in November to August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Giant Crane Fly?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant Crane Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Philadelphia the best place to see a Giant Crane Fly?

Among the best

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Giant Crane Fly sightings, Philadelphia ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Giant Crane Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Giant Crane Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Philadelphia (10 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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