Green Horse Fly

Green Horse Fly

Chlorotabanus crepuscularis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Everglades National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

11 Verified sightings at Everglades National Park From 2019 to 2026
21 In all 2 parks
April Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Green Horse Fly

Chlorotabanus crepuscularis is a species of horse flies in the family Tabanidae. This species is the only green tabanid in North America. It can be found from Texas to Delaware. In Florida, this sanguinivorous (blood-feeding) fly is seen as an adult from March through September, but is most active from May to mid-July.

The female has the ability to sense carbon dioxide, which helps it feed on mammals, especially during the night when it is most active. The larvae are also predaceous and live in the soil adjacent to water and on floating vegetation but can also live in forest sand. The insect's blood is blue. The fly's eyes are brown, but glow yellow under 385 nm UV light. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Green Horse Fly in Everglades National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green Horse Fly sighting in Everglades National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 273rd most-seen of the 496 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Green Horse Fly in Everglades National Park?

April and May

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green Horse Fly in Everglades National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Green Horse Fly?

Between 5 and 8 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Horse Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Everglades National Park the best place to see a Green Horse Fly?

Among the best

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Green Horse Fly sightings, Everglades National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Green Horse Fly live in Everglades National Park?

Same family: Tabanidae

The closest relatives of the Green Horse Fly that you can see in Everglades National Park (family Tabanidae, Horse and Deer Flies) are Black Horse Fly (about 10%) and Yellow Fly Of The Dismal Swamp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Green Horse Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Green Horse Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Everglades National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.

← Back to Everglades National Park