Scathophaga stercoraria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Scathophaga stercoraria, commonly known as the yellow dung fly or the golden dung fly, is one of the most familiar and abundant flies in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. As its common name suggests, it is often found on the feces of large mammals, such as horses, cattle, sheep, deer, and wild boar, where it goes to breed. The distribution of S. stercoraria is likely influenced by human agriculture, especially in northern Europe and North America. The Scathophaga are integral in the animal kingdom due to their role in the natural decomposition of dung in fields. They are also very important in the scientific world due to their short life cycles and susceptibility to experimental manipulations; thus, they have contributed significant knowledge about animal behavior.
Scathophaga stercoraria is sexually dimorphic, with an average lifespan of one to two months. The adult males are bright golden-yellow with orange-yellow fur on the front legs. Females are a little duller in color, with pronounced green-brown tinges, and no brightly colored fur on the front legs. The adults range from 5 to 11 mm in length, and the males are generally larger than the females. The physical... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 5 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 7 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 8 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 9 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Istanbul | 🇹🇷 Turkey |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Dung Fly sighting in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 127th most-seen of the 160 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.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Dung Fly in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–August and October–February, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden Dung Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Golden Dung Fly sightings, Yellowstone National Park ranks 11th at under 5%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%), Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Cairngorms National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same order: Diptera
The closest relatives of the Golden Dung Fly that you can see in Yellowstone National Park (order Diptera, Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 10%), Adejeania vexatrix (about 10%) and Common Loopwing Aphideater (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden Dung Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Yellowstone 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.
