Black-Margined Flower Fly

Black-Margined Flower Fly

Syrphus opinator

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Portland

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

154 Verified sightings at Portland
124 In all 8 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-Margined Flower Fly

Syrphus opinator, the black-margined flower fly, is a species of syrphid fly in the family Syrphidae. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
6 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-Margined Flower Fly in Portland?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Margined Flower Fly sighting in Portland on a given day, based on 154 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 45th most-seen of the 507 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-Margined Flower Fly in Portland?

September to June

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Margined Flower Fly in Portland on a given day, against under 5% in July and August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Black-Margined Flower Fly?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-Margined 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 Portland the best place to see a Black-Margined Flower Fly?

2nd of 11

Of the 11 cities where we can rate Black-Margined Flower Fly sightings, Portland ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Black-Margined Flower Fly live in Portland?

Same family: Syrphidae

The closest relatives of the Black-Margined Flower Fly that you can see in Portland (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Yellow-Haired Sun Fly (about 10%), Narcissus Bulb Fly (about 10%) and Eurasian Drone Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Black-Margined Flower Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-Margined Flower Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Portland (154 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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