Picture-Winged Fly vs European Thick-headed Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Picture-Winged Fly European Thick-headed Fly
Scientific Name Delphinia picta Myopa buccata
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Ulidiidae Conopidae
Size 5-8 mm 6-10 mm
Habitat Underground Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Parasitoids
Regions North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Picture-Winged Fly

A small fly with beautifully patterned wings that it waves in display like tiny semaphore flags. The wing patterns may serve in species recognition and courtship.

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Did You Know?

When walking, it continuously waves its patterned wings in a mesmerizing display, resembling a tiny insect conductor leading an orchestra.

European Thick-headed Fly

A small reddish-brown conopid fly with a distinctively swollen face and downward-curving proboscis. It is commonly found basking on sunny tree trunks and fences in spring.

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Did You Know?

It times its emergence with the spring flight period of its Andrena bee hosts, waiting on sunny surfaces to ambush them.