Glyphipterix simpliciella
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Glyphipterix simpliciella, the cocksfoot moth, is a species of moth of the family Glyphipterigidae. This quite common species can be found in the western part of the Palearctic realm and is common in much of Great Britain and Ireland. This species is also found in New Zealand.
These small moths mainly inhabit flower meadows, especially with buttercup and there are often many on one flower. Glyphipterix simpliciella has a wingspan of 6–9 mm. and can reach a length of 3–4 mm. These tiny cryptic moths have dark brown forewings with a slightly metallic sheen. They also show a black apical spot and five white or silvery streaks along their costa, two across the dorsum and one in the posterior corner of the wings. The hindwings are dark grey, with grey cilia. Both sexes are similar.
This species is rather similar to Glyphipterix equitella and Glyphipterix schoenicolella. It is a univoltine species. Adults are on wing from May to July. They fly in the sunshine and especially feed on nectar of buttercup (Ranunculus species), Crataegus monogyna, Euphorbia esula, and of various Apiaceae species (especially Leucanthemum vulgare... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cocksfoot Moth sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 528th most-seen of the 811 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cocksfoot Moth in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cocksfoot Moth sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Cocksfoot Moth sightings, Birmingham ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Cocksfoot Moth that you can see in Birmingham (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Speckled Wood (about 50%), European Comma (about 30%) and Gatekeeper (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cocksfoot Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (9 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.
