Toxomerus occidentalis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Toxomerus occidentalis (Curran,1922) the Western Calligrapher, is a common species of syrphid fly found in western North America from British Columbia south to California, Colorado and Texas. Syrphid flies are also known as Hover Flies or Flower Flies because the adults are frequently found hovering around flowers from which they feed on nectar and pollen. Adults look very similar to the Eastern Calligrapher.The larvae are predators of a variety of aphids and mites. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Calligrapher sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 107 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Western Calligrapher in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Calligrapher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Western Calligrapher sightings, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Redwood National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Western Calligrapher that you can see in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 30%), Western Pond Fly (about 20%) and Banded Thintail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Calligrapher is recorded against all the insects logged in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (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.
