Amphipyra pyramidea
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The copper underwing, humped green fruitworm or pyramidal green fruitworm (Amphipyra pyramidea) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
This species can be found across the Palaearctic region including Europe, North Africa, the Near East, Iran, southern Siberia, northern India, Korea and Japan. It is rather common over the southern half of Britain. This species has a wingspan of 47–54 mm, the female usually slightly larger than the male. The forewings are brown marked with paler fascia and a pale, dark-centred stigma. The hindwings are a rich bright copper colour (hence the common name of "copper underwing").
It is very similar to Svensson's copper underwing (Amphipyra berbera) but identification is usually fairly straightforward by looking at some markings on the forewings, the detail of the labial palps and at the underside of the hindwings. This species has a pale area in the centre of the hindwings, contrasting with much darker marginal areas, while in A. berbera the whole underwing is more or less uniform in colour. See Townsend et al. The larva is green... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 9 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Copper Underwing sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 231st most-seen of the 1115 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Copper Underwing 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 Eurasian Copper Underwing 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 3 parks where we can rate Eurasian Copper Underwing sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, under 5%) and Pyrénées National Park (France, under 5%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Copper Underwing that you can see in Bavarian Forest National Park (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Silver Υ (about 20%), Knot Grass Moth (about 20%) and Large Yellow Underwing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Copper Underwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (20 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.
