Smerinthus ocellata
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~80%
Smerinthus ocellatus, the eyed hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The eyespots are not visible in resting position, where the forewings cover them. They are displayed when the moth feels threatened, and may startle a potential predator, giving the moth a chance to escape.
The adult (imago) is very similar in appearance to the other two western Palaearctic Smerinthus species, Smerinthus caecus and Smerinthus kindermannii but differentiated by an apical thorn on the foretibia, and the large, circular hindwing ocellus. The upperside forewings are marked in light and dark shades of brown and resemble the colouring of bark. The hindwings are pink coloured basally and then a yellow ochre. The hindwings are dominated by a large, blue, dark-centred and black-rimmed eyespot. The thorax has light brown sides and dark brown hairs in the middle. In addition to variations in the density of the forewing pattern intensity, differences in colour are also found on the hindwing. In f. flavescens Neumann hindwing pink is replaced by yellow in f. pallida Tutt by grey and in f... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 5 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 10 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eyed Hawkmoth sighting in Biebrza National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 60th most-seen of the 97 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Eyed Hawkmoth in Biebrza National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April and August–October, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.
Between 11 pm and 2 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eyed Hawkmoth 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 4 parks where we can rate Eyed Hawkmoth sightings, Biebrza National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%) and Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Eyed Hawkmoth that you can see in Biebrza National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Lime Hawkmoth (about 30%), Pine Hawkmoth (about 20%) and Bedstraw Hawkmoth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eyed Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Biebrza National Park (6 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.
