Volucella evecta
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Volucella evecta, the eastern swiftwing, is an uncommon species of hoverfly that has been considered a subspecies of Volucella bombylans, but has been shown to be a distinct species. This species is a bumblebee mimic. It resembles a number of species, including Bombus pensylvanicus, Bombus affinis, Bombus bimaculatus, and Habropoda laboriosa. The range of this species is from Eastern North America and Canada from Georgia to New Brunswick. The adults have been observed feeding on Geum, Viburnum, Rubus, and other flowering plants. Larvae of this species are not known, but larvae in this genus feed on the debris and larvae in bee and wasp nests. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Swiftwing sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 406th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Swiftwing in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Swiftwing 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 2 parks where we can rate Eastern Swiftwing sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Eastern Swiftwing that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Eastern Calligrapher (about 20%), Common Drone Fly (about 20%) and Black-Horned Smoothtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Swiftwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (9 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.
