Marsh Crane Fly

Marsh Crane Fly

Tipula oleracea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Wadden Sea National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

15 Verified sightings at Wadden Sea National Park From 2019 to 2026
15 In 1 park
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Marsh Crane Fly

The marsh crane fly (Tipula oleracea) is a species of cranefly found throughout the Palaearctic and parts of the Nearctic. Its specific name oleracea means "related to vegetables/herbs" in Latin and is a form of holeraceus (oleraceus).

A usually greyish species, but abdomen occasionally ferruginous and often with a blackish median and/or lateral longitudinal stripe. The wing length is 18–28 mm. The minimum space between eyes below is at most subequal to the maximum width of

antennal scape; the antennae are 13-segmented. The male tergite 9 has a short median projection (its breadth at base exceeding its length), and roundly bifurcated at apex, the bifurcations blackish; sternite 8 simple, 9 almost fused

with tergite 9 (as in T. paludosa and T. czizeki). female wings as long as abdomen; sternal valves usually extending to about two-thirds length of cerci, cerci only slightly clubbed at tips. Tipula oleracea is prevalent mainly in Europe. Their habitat ranges in the South to North Africa, but has a limit in Algeria to the East. In Europe the South-eastern boundary is in Greece. It occurs on some Greek islands such as Crete as a subspecies... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
5 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
6 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
8 Amsterdam 🇳🇱 Netherlands
<5%
9 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
10 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Marsh Crane Fly in Wadden Sea National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Marsh Crane Fly sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 361st most-seen of the 818 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Marsh Crane Fly in Wadden Sea National Park?

May and August–September

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Marsh Crane Fly in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and October–April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Marsh Crane Fly?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Marsh Crane Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Marsh Crane Fly?

Only Wadden Sea National Park, in our data

Wadden Sea National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Marsh Crane Fly sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Marsh Crane Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Marsh Crane Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (15 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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