Spilomyia fusca
In 3 days ~10%
Spilomyia fusca, the Bald-faced Hornet Fly, is a fairly common species of syrphid fly first officially described by Loew, 1864 This species is found in eastern North America. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found around and on flowers from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. The larvae are known as the short-tailed larva tailored for moist areas such as rot holes of trees. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bald-Faced Hornet Fly sighting in Toronto on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1212th most-seen of the 1689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bald-Faced Hornet Fly in Toronto on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bald-Faced Hornet Fly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Toronto, in our data
Toronto is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Bald-Faced Hornet Fly sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Spilomyia
The closest relatives of the Bald-Faced Hornet Fly that you can see in Toronto (genus Spilomyia, Hornet Flies) are Eastern Hornet Fly (about 10%) and Four-Lined Hornet Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bald-Faced Hornet Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Toronto (9 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.
