Eristalis arbustorum
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Eristalis arbustorum, the European drone fly, is an abundant Northern Hemisphere species of syrphid fly, originally officially described by Linnaeus in 1758 as Musca arbustorum. The name "drone fly" is related to its similar appearance to the drone of the honeybee. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies as they are commonly found on and around flowers from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein rich pollen. The larvae are aquatic filter-feeders of the long-tailed type.
External images For terms see Morphology of Diptera The wings are 7–10 mm long. At least, the basal half of the arista is plumose. The face is entirely pale dusted; there is a shining black median stripe in rubbed specimens. The hind femora are pale at their tips only. E. arbustorum resembles E. abusiva, but they are distinguished by the plumose arista, as well as a less projecting mouth-edge and shorter hairs overall. The top quarter of tibia 2 is black.
The male genitalia are figured by Hippa et al. (2001). The larva is figured by Hartley (1961). Eristalis arbustorum is found in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Algiers | 🇩🇿 Algeria | |
| 4 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 5 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Tashkent | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | |
| 7 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Tehran | 🇮🇷 Iran | |
| 9 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Drone Fly sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 147th most-seen of the 479 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Drone Fly in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–May, the lowest months. That is one of Sierra Nevada National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 130 mm in March.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Drone Fly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Eurasian Drone Fly sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 10%) and Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Eristalis
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Drone Fly that you can see in Sierra Nevada National Park (genus Eristalis, Drone Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 20%) and Tapered Drone Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Drone Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (16 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.
