Cossus cossus
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Cossus cossus, the goat moth, is a moth of the family Cossidae. It is found in Northern Africa, Asia and Europe. This is a large heavy moth with a wingspan of 68–96 mm. The wings are greyish brown and marked with fine dark cross lines. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location.
The caterpillars have a red/purple stripe across the back and a black head. They reach a length of 9–10 cm. The caterpillars feed in the trunks and branches of a wide variety of trees (see list below), taking three to five years to mature. The caterpillar holes can be found low on the stem (maximum 1.0–1.5 m above the ground). When ready to pupate the caterpillar leaves the tree to find a suitable spot.
The species prefer humid environments. Both the larva and moth have a smell reminiscent of goat, hence its name. Pliny reported in Natural History that a grub which he gives the name cossus was considered a Roman delicacy after it was fed with flour. Some writers have equated this with Cossus cossus, but Pliny specifies that his cossus is found in oak trees, which makes this identification unlikely.
It has a preference for Populus,... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 2 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 9 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Stockholm | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 4 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 5 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Minsk | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 7 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Goat Moth sighting in Białowieża National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 62nd most-seen of the 158 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and October
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Goat Moth in Białowieża National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–April, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Goat Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Goat Moth sightings, Białowieża National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Gauja National Park (Latvia, about 20%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Goat Moth that you can see in Białowieża National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Silver-Washed Fritillary (about 40%), Map (about 40%) and European Comma (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Goat Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Białowieża National Park (10 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.
