Tyria jacobaeae
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) is a brightly coloured Arctiinae moth found as a native species in Europe and western and central Asia then east across the Palearctic to Siberia to China. It has been introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to control ragwort, on which its larvae feed, as a result of this diet the Cinnabar larvae and adult is poisonous to most of its natural predators, its red coloration acting to signal this to predators (Aposematism).
The moth is named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red patches on its predominantly black wings. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Cinnabar moths are about 20 mm (0.79 in) long and have a wingspan of 34–46 mm (1.3–1.8 in).
While generally nocturnal, the species is also often spotted in daylight hours. Cinnabar moths are day-flying insects with distinctive pinkish-red and black wings. There is little variation in patterning, although on rare occasions the red markings may be replaced with yellow, or the forewing is entirely red with a black border, or the wings are completely black. Like many other brightly coloured moths, it... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 6 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Cologne | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 10 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnabar Moth sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 378 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 811 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnabar Moth in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cinnabar Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 18
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Cinnabar Moth sightings, Birmingham ranks 3rd at about 30%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 40%) and Manchester (United Kingdom, about 40%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Cinnabar Moth that you can see in Birmingham (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Scarlet Tiger (about 30%), Rusty Tussock Moth (about 10%) and Burnet Companion (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cinnabar Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (378 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.
