Cerastis rubricosa
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Cerastis rubricosa, the red chestnut, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in most of Europe, east through the temperate regions of the Palearctic east to Japan. In the north it is found just north of the Arctic Circle. Southward it is found up to the Mediterranean Basin and Turkey.
The wingspan is 32–38 millimetres (1.3–1.5 in), the forewings are red brown, varied with grey, sometimes with a purplish-brown tinge; stigmata grey with fine dark outlines; a broad angled median shade; lines all starting from black costal spots; hindwing fuscous grey; fringe grey. Generally distributed in Europe, except Spain, and found in western Siberia and western Turkestan. The form rufa Haw., the usual British form, is almost wholly rufous, and the fringe pink. - mucida Esp. is dark purplish red with the costa and subterminal shade slaty grey; - pilicornis Brahm has the red ground almost obliterated by grey suffusion, the crosslines brownish; of this pallida Tutt is merely an extreme pale form; finally, mista Hbn. is brick red with costa, crosslines, and outer margin grey.
Adults... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Chestnut sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 156th 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 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red Chestnut in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to March, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Chestnut sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Red Chestnut sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Red Chestnut that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 20%), Antler Moth (about 20%) and Dark Arches (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Chestnut is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms 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.
