Tyria jacobaeae
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) is a brightly coloured Arctiinae moth found as a native species in Europe and western and central Asia then east across the Palearctic to Siberia to China. It has been introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to control ragwort, on which its larvae feed, as a result of this diet the Cinnabar larvae and adult is poisonous to most of its natural predators, its red coloration acting to signal this to predators (Aposematism).
The moth is named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red patches on its predominantly black wings. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Cinnabar moths are about 20 mm (0.79 in) long and have a wingspan of 34–46 mm (1.3–1.8 in).
While generally nocturnal, the species is also often spotted in daylight hours. Cinnabar moths are day-flying insects with distinctive pinkish-red and black wings. There is little variation in patterning, although on rare occasions the red markings may be replaced with yellow, or the forewing is entirely red with a black border, or the wings are completely black. Like many other brightly coloured moths, it... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 6 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Cologne | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 10 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnabar Moth sighting in Arthur's Pass National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 60 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnabar Moth in Arthur's Pass National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cinnabar Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Cinnabar Moth sightings, Arthur's Pass National Park ranks 5th at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 20%), Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 20%) and Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Canada, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cinnabar Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Arthur's Pass National Park (14 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
