Large-tailed Aphideater

Eupeodes volucris · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae

Also called: Bird Hover Fly

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Large-tailed Aphideater
Photo: Ken-ichi Ueda, CC BY

Adults of this hoverfly often hover over the plants they visit. The larvae feed on plant-sucking insects, mainly aphids.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The family name refers to the habit of adults hovering over plants.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Adults are frequently seen hovering around the plants they use.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Larvae prey on aphids and other plant-sucking insects.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, Oregon.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Large-tailed Aphideater photo 3
Photo: Roberto Daniel Avila, CC BY
Large-tailed Aphideater photo 4
Photo: Catherine C. Galley, CC BY
Large-tailed Aphideater photo 5
Photo: unknown, CC0
Large-tailed Aphideater photo 6
Photo: Justin Johnsen, CC BY

Same family (Syrphidae)

Common Drone FlyCommon Drone FlyEristalis tenaxHarmlessMarmalade Hover FlyMarmalade Hover FlyEpisyrphus balteatusMargined CalligrapherMargined CalligrapherToxomerus marginatusEastern CalligrapherEastern CalligrapherToxomerus geminatusYellow-haired Sun FlyYellow-haired Sun FlyMyathropa floreaThick-legged Hover FlyThick-legged Hover FlySyritta pipiens

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupeodes_volucris

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.