Bug FAQAmerican Horse Fly
Tabanus americanus · Order: Diptera · Family: Tabanidae
The American horse fly belongs to the family Tabanidae. It occurs in the United States and Canada. It is usually seen around open pastures and near ponds where it deposits its eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Tabanus americanus is the scientific name of the American horse fly.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
These flies are commonly found in open pasture areas with cattle or other livestock. They prefer ponds or other water sources for laying their eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to the United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Mississippi, Maryland, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia, Texas, Connecticut.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Tabanidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabanus_americanus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.