This tiny black fly is .25 inch (7 mm) in length. The face, thorax and abdomen are black. The eyes are dark red. The wings are clear with a dark brown stigma on the outer edge near the tip. This fly was identified by a volunteer expert at the BugGuide website.
This fly is common in this area. The individual in Photo 1 was photographed in the pollinator garden at the wetlands learning center in October 2016.
There are 29 species in North America. A behavioral characteristic is that the fly continually moves its wings in a “rowing motion” as it walks. The larvae develop in manure, decaying vegetation or carrion in advanced stages of decomposition.
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