Cyclophora nanaria
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Cyclophora nanaria, the dwarf tawny wave, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1861. It is found in the US from California to Texas and from New Jersey to Florida west along the Gulf Coast. The range extends south through Dominica and Jamaica to Argentina. It is an introduced species in Hawaii.
The wingspan is about 16 mm. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Santiago | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 4 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dwarf Tawny Wave sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 68th most-seen of the 329 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Dwarf Tawny Wave in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, 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 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dwarf Tawny Wave 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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Dwarf Tawny Wave sightings, Big Bend National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Saguaro National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Dwarf Tawny Wave that you can see in Big Bend National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Bicolored Chloraspilates Moth (about 10%), Idaea gemmata (about 10%) and Xerochlora mesotheides (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dwarf Tawny Wave is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Bend National Park (37 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.
