Pyrrhocoris apterus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. Easily recognisable due to its striking red and black coloration, it may be confused with the similarly coloured though unrelated Corizus hyoscyami (cinnamon bug or squash bug). Pyrrhocoris apterus is distributed throughout the Palaearctic from the Atlantic coast of Europe to northwest China. Beyond its native Palaearctic range, it has been recorded in the United States, Central America, Southern Ontario (As an invasive species), India, and Australia. It has been reported as recently expanding its distribution northwards into mainland United Kingdom and eastward on to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is frequently observed to form aggregations, especially in immature forms, containing tens to perhaps a hundred individuals.
The firebug generally mates in April and May. Its diet consists primarily of seeds from lime trees and mallows (see below). It can often be found in groups near the base of lime tree trunks, on the sunny side. The firebug can be seen in tandem formation when mating, which can last from 12 hours up to 7 days. It has been proposed that this long copulation duration... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 2 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 3 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 9 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a European Firebug sighting in Plitvice Lakes National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 51 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a European Firebug in Plitvice Lakes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, June and October, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most European Firebug sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate European Firebug sightings, Plitvice Lakes National Park ranks 8th at about 20%. The best odds are in Gauja National Park (Latvia, about 40%), Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 40%) and Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 30%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the European Firebug that you can see in Plitvice Lakes National Park (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are European Striped Shield Bug (about 30%), River Skater (about 20%) and Forest Bug (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the European Firebug is recorded against all the insects logged in Plitvice Lakes 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.
