Tawny Wave

Tawny Wave

Scopula rubiginata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Berlin

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

35 Verified sightings at Berlin
39 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Tawny Wave

Scopula rubiginata, the tawny wave, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767. Subspecies Scopula rubiginata ochraceata Staudinger, 1901 is mostly treated as a species, Scopula ochraceata.

The Latin species name rubiginata means "rusty", with reference to the coloration of the wings. This species is present from the Iberian Peninsula up to the Ural. In the North its range extends to Denmark and Southern Sweden and Finland. It is not present in most of the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula (with the exception of Gibraltar), Sicily and the southern Greek islands. In Morocco it is found in the Atlas mountains. Furthermore, it is also present in North Turkey, the Caucasus and the Crimea. Eastwards, its range stretches through southern Siberia, the northern central Asian mountains up to Mongolia. These moths preferably inhabit sandy terrain, such as sand dunes dry-warm environment, grasslands and heath, at an elevation up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level.

Scopula rubiginata has a wingspan of 16–22 mm. These moths are rather small... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
2 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
3 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
2 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
3 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
<5%
4 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
<5%
5 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
6 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tawny Wave in Berlin?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Wave sighting in Berlin on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 305th most-seen of the 1065 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 Tawny Wave in Berlin?

July to September

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Wave in Berlin on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Tawny Wave?

Between 9 pm and midnight

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tawny Wave 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.

Is Berlin the best place to see a Tawny Wave?

Among the best

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Tawny Wave sightings, Berlin ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Budapest (Hungary, about 10%).

Where does the Tawny Wave sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tawny Wave is recorded against all the insects logged in Berlin (35 verified sightings), 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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