Copper Chafer

Copper Chafer

Protaetia cuprea

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Hohe Tauern National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

11 Verified sightings at Hohe Tauern National Park From 2019 to 2026
195 In all 14 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Copper Chafer

Protaetia cuprea, also known as the copper chafer, is a species of chafer in the family Scarabaeidae. This species is also known as the rose chafer and has a wide geographic distribution, extending from Canary Islands, Portugal, and Spain to the east towards Vladivostok in the Russian Far East, Mongolia, and North China. This species forages for pollen from flowers and fruits, such as apples, from trees. However, since fruit is scarce in the spring and winter, they only transition from a diet of pollen to a diet of fruits in the summer. Since pollen is richer in proteins and lipids than carbohydrates, while fruit is richer in carbohydrates, they are able to travel longer when on a fruit diet; this is due to their increased aerobic performance when fueled by high-carbohydrate content.

This beetle is well-known for its flight ability, a skill that supports its foraging behavior. It has swift maneuvering ability and strong precision when landing on flowers and plants; it is able to do this due to the elasticity and mechanisms this beetle's wings possess.

The beetle species P. cuprea has an extensive geographic distribution across various regions, showcasing its adaptability... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
2 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~20%
3 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
4 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
7 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~10%
8 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
9 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
10 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
11 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
12 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
13 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
14 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ramallah 🇵🇸 Palestine
~20%
2 Jerusalem 🇮🇱 Israel
~20%
3 Tel Aviv 🇮🇱 Israel
~20%
4 Yerevan 🇦🇲 Armenia
~20%
5 Athens 🇬🇷 Greece
~10%
6 Izmir 🇹🇷 Turkey
~10%
7 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
8 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
9 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
10 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Copper Chafer in Hohe Tauern National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Copper Chafer sighting in Hohe Tauern National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 61st most-seen of the 165 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Copper Chafer in Hohe Tauern National Park?

July and August

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Copper Chafer in Hohe Tauern National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–May and September–October, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Copper Chafer?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Copper Chafer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Hohe Tauern National Park the best place to see a Copper Chafer?

2nd of 14

Of the 14 parks where we can rate Copper Chafer sightings, Hohe Tauern National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Mercantour National Park (France, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Copper Chafer live in Hohe Tauern National Park?

Same family: Scarabaeidae

The closest relatives of the Copper Chafer that you can see in Hohe Tauern National Park (family Scarabaeidae, Scarabs) are Garden Chafer (about 20%), Eurasian Bee Beetle (about 10%) and Mountain Monkey Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Copper Chafer sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Copper Chafer is recorded against all the insects logged in Hohe Tauern 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.

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