Ponometia elegantula
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Ponometia elegantula, the Arizona bird dropping moth, is a species of bird dropping moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Leon F. Harvey in 1876. The MONA or Hodges number for Ponometia elegantula is 9109. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Arizona Bird-Dropping Moth sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 169th most-seen of the 329 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.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Arizona Bird-Dropping Moth in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and October–March, the lowest months. That is one of Big Bend National Park's wettest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 10 mm in April.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Arizona Bird-Dropping Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Arizona Bird-Dropping Moth sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, about 10%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Arizona Bird-Dropping Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Bend National Park (13 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.
