Katha depressa
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Katha depressa, the buff footman, is a moth of the family Erebidae found in Asia and Europe. It was first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1787. The length of the forewings is 15–17 mm. Both wings dark brown grey, with the costa of the forewing and the fringes light bright yellow, especially in the female. The ground colour is often more or less lightened with ochreous, sometimes almost clay-colour (ochreola Hbn.), or nearly whitish (helveola Ochs.) or of an indefinite intermediate shade (luteola Hbn.). In pavescens Butl. from Hokkaido (Island of Yezo), the wings are dirty greyish yellow; the hindwing lighter.
Katha deplana deplana Katha deplana pavescens (Butler, 1877) (Russia: Middle Amur, Primorye, Sakhalin, Kunashir; Korea; Japan) Larvae are a dirty lead-grey colour, bearing a yellow dorsal stripe with dark edges and three raised black transverse spots anteriorly, posteriorly and in the centre, and black markings laterally. The larvae feed on lichen and algae, especially on conifer trees, but also on oak (Quercus species) and heathers (Calluna species). Until June, on lichens on trees. Pupa... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Buff Footman sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 100th most-seen of the 1115 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Buff Footman in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Buff Footman sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Buff Footman sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Pyrénées National Park (France, about 10%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Buff Footman that you can see in Bavarian Forest National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Burnet Companion (about 20%), Jersey Tiger (about 20%) and Pale Tussock Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Buff Footman is recorded against all the insects logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (41 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.
