Autographa gamma
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The silver Y (Autographa gamma) is a migratory moth of the family Noctuidae which is named for the silvery Y-shaped mark on each of its forewings. The species is widespread throughout most of the palearctic. The silver Y is a medium-sized moth with a wingspan described in the range of 30-45 mm.
The wings are intricately patterned with various shades of brown and grey serving as camouflage. In the centre of each forewing there is a silver-coloured mark shaped like a lower case Y (y) or a lower case Greek letter gamma (γ). There are several different forms with varying colours depending on the climate in which the larvae grow.
P. gamma Forewing purplish grey, with darker suffusion in places; the lines pale silvery edged on both sides with dark fuscous, the outer line indented on vein 2 and submedian fold, as in circumflexa; the oblique orbicular and the reniform conversely oblique and constricted in middle, both edged with silvery: the median area below middle blackish, containing a silvery gamma; the subterminal dentate and indented, preceded by a darker shade; hindwing brownish grey with darker veins and a broad blackish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 7 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 12 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 15 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 16 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 17 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania | |
| 5 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 6 | Jerusalem | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 7 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Astana | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 9 | Turin | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 10 | Sofia | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Silver Υ sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 184 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 811 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Silver Υ in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in December to March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver Υ sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 50
Of the 50 cities where we can rate Silver Υ sightings, Birmingham ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 40%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Silver Υ that you can see in Birmingham (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 20%), Knot Grass Moth (about 20%) and Square-Spot Rustic (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silver Υ is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (184 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.
