Black Mountain Moth

Black Mountain Moth

Glacies coracina

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Cairngorms National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%

7 Verified sightings at Cairngorms National Park From 2019 to 2026
7 In 1 park
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black Mountain Moth

Glacies coracina, the black mountain moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1805. It is found in northern Europe and in mountainous areas from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland and northern Russia to Japan. It is also present in Great Britain, Romania and Bulgaria and in the Alps. It is found at elevations of up to 3,000 meters.

The wingspan is 18–24 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August and are day active. There is one generation per year. The larva feeds on the leaves of various low-growing plants, including Betula nana and Empetrum nigrum. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black Mountain Moth in Cairngorms National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Mountain Moth sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 260th most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black Mountain Moth in Cairngorms National Park?

May and June

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Mountain Moth in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Black Mountain Moth?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Mountain Moth sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Black Mountain Moth?

Only Cairngorms National Park, in our data

Cairngorms National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Black Mountain Moth sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Black Mountain Moth live in Cairngorms National Park?

Same family: Geometridae

The closest relatives of the Black Mountain Moth that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Chimney-Sweeper (about 20%), Bordered White (about 20%) and Common Heath (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Black Mountain Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black Mountain Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (7 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.

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