Megarhyssa nortoni
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Megarhyssa nortoni, also known as Norton's giant ichneumonid wasp or the western giant ichneumonid wasp, is a species of large ichneumon wasp. There are two described subspecies of Megarhyssa nortoni: M. nortoni nortoni (Cresson, 1864) (western US and southwestern Canada)
M. nortoni quebecensis (Provancher, 1873) (northeastern US and southeastern Canada) Megarhyssa nortoni is black, reddish brown, and yellow and has distinguishing round yellow spots down the side of the abdomen. Its legs are mostly yellow. Its wings are transparent, and the body is elongated with a length of 1.4 inches (36 mm). The female is notable for an ovipositor of 2 inches (51 mm) to 3 inches (76 mm) in length. The male is less colorful with no ovipositor.
This species is native to North America including parts of the United States and Canada. The subspecies M. nortoni nortoni has a western distribution from the Pacific Coast to Colorado while the subspecies M. nortoni quebecensis has an eastern distribution from the northeastern US and southeastern Canada. It is found in coniferous forests where horntail larvae are present... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Norton's Giant Ichneumonid Wasp sighting in Glacier National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 134th most-seen of the 147 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.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Norton's Giant Ichneumonid Wasp in Glacier National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of Glacier National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 80 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Norton's Giant Ichneumonid Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Norton's Giant Ichneumonid Wasp sightings, Glacier National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Norton's Giant Ichneumonid Wasp that you can see in Glacier National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Vancouver Bumble Bee (about 20%), Black-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 20%) and Yellow-Fronted Bumble Bee (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Norton's Giant Ichneumonid Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Glacier National Park (5 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.
