Ecliptopera silaceata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Ecliptopera silaceata, the small phoenix, is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. The distribution includes most of Europe including the British Isles and extends eastwards through Russia and the Altai and the Vyatskoye, as well as north into the Arctic Circle, and south to the Caucasus. It also occurs in North America.
The wingspan is 23–27 mm. The length of the forewings is 13–17 mm. The basal region is dark grey, and is bordered by a light coloured band in which are mostly dark stains. The very wide discal region is black brown, and often shows a nearly elliptical white "drawing" in the middle. The marginal area is brown with several significant arrow patches. Two or three distally facing peaks continue as orange coloured strokes sometimes up to the outer edge. Below the apex, there are dark arch stains and a white wavy line located at the outer edge. The hind wings are white grey and have bright crosslines as well as a little black heart. The colour of head, thorax, and abdomen is brown. Prout
describes some variants. The larva is long and thin, variable in colour, green or flesh-colour, the thoracic and last 4 abdominal segments with a red or blackish mediodorsal line, the middle segments with blackish dots. The venter has a white line, sometimes pink-edged.
The main habitats of the species are semi-shady areas in deciduous, and mixed forests as well as young forest plantations and heaths. The moths fly in two generations from May to July and from August to September. [1]. The larvae feed mainly on willowherbs. The compact, brownish
green pupa hibernates. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Phoenix 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 317th 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 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Phoenix in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Phoenix sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
4th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Small Phoenix sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 20%), Mercantour National Park (France, about 10%) and Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Small Phoenix that you can see in Bavarian Forest National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Common Heath (about 20%), Latticed Heath (about 20%) and Yellow Shell Moth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small Phoenix 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.
