Horse flies (females)

Description:

Adult horse flies feed on nectar and sometimes pollen. Females of most species are anautogenous, meaning that they require a blood meal before they are able to reproduce effectively if at all. Much like male mosquitoes, male Tabanidae are not ectoparasitic and lack the mouth parts (mandibles) that the females use in drawing the blood that they feed on. Most female horse flies feed on mammalian blood, but some species are known to feed on birds or reptiles. Some are said to attack amphibians as well. (information from Wikipedia)

Habitat:

Wooded pasture with horses

Notes:

These flies were spotted while feeding on the blood of a horse. They were certainly living up to their common name! :-) These photos aren't the greatest because I found out that horses do not like camera flash.