Noon Fly vs European Thick-headed Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Noon Fly European Thick-headed Fly
Scientific Name Mesembrina meridiana Myopa buccata
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Muscidae Conopidae
Size 10-13mm 6-10 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Dung Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Europe Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Noon Fly

A large stocky black fly with bright orange wing bases. It basks in sunshine on walls and fences at midday.

💡

Did You Know?

Named for its habit of basking in the midday sun, often sitting motionless on warm surfaces around noon.

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.

💡

Did You Know?

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