Drinker Moth

Drinker Moth

Euthrix potatoria

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Birmingham

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

9 Verified sightings at Birmingham
411 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Drinker Moth

Euthrix potatoria, the drinker, is an orange-brown moth of the family Lasiocampidae. The species' common and scientific names derive from the larva's supposed drinking of drops of dew. The scientific name Euthryx potatoria was given to this moth by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. In choosing the name potatoria 'drinker-like', he was inspired by the Dutch entomologist Johannes Goedaert, who had called the animal dronckaerdt 'drunkard' "because it is very much inclined to drinking". This remark refers to the moth's habit of repeatedly plunging its head into the water. The English name drinker (moth) also refers to Goedaert's analogy.

The imago has a wingspan of 4.5–6.5 cm (1.8–2.6 in). The yellowish females are slightly larger than... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~50%
2 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~40%
3 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~30%
4 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
5 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
<5%
4 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
5 Nizhny Novgorod 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%
6 Paris 🇫🇷 France
<5%
7 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%
8 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
<5%
9 Saint Petersburg 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Drinker Moth in Birmingham?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Drinker 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.

When is the best time to see a Drinker Moth in Birmingham?

May and October

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Drinker Moth in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in June–September and November–April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Drinker Moth?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Drinker Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Birmingham the best place to see a Drinker Moth?

4th of 9

Of the 9 cities where we can rate Drinker Moth sightings, Birmingham ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Manchester (United Kingdom, about 10%), Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Copenhagen (Denmark, under 5%).

Where does the Drinker Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Drinker 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.

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