Xylota segnis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Xylota segnis, the brown-toed forest fly, is a common species of hoverfly. The genus name Xylota is the Latinized form of the rare Byzantine-Greek ξυλωτή [xsylōtē] meaning wooden, while the Latin species name segnis means slipping or lazy, as this hoverfly usually rests on a leaf and it does not fly frequently. The translation of the taxon could be "lazy wood fly".
This species has a Palearctic and Nearctic distribution. It is present in all Europe including the Mediterranean, the Caucasus and through Russia to the Russian Far East and Japan. It is also present in the Nearctic eastern parts, in southeastern Canada and northeastern United States.
GBIF species page, with map This species mainly inhabits low bushes in woods. External images For terms see Morphology of Diptera Xylota segnis can reach a length of 10–14 millimetres (0.39–0.55 in) and has a wing length reaching 7–9.5 millimetres (0.28–0.37 in). Thorax is greenish black, with long yellowish hairs. Abdomen is black with a large red or yellowish red patch. In particular, tergites 2 and 3 are yellow or reddish except for the back of tergite 3 which is black.... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 6 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 9 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 10 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Belted Leafwalker sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 422nd 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.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Belted Leafwalker in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange-Belted Leafwalker sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Orange-Belted Leafwalker sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Cairngorms National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Orange-Belted Leafwalker that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 20%), Marmalade Hover Fly (about 20%) and Sun Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orange-Belted Leafwalker is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (12 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.
