Orthosia gothica
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Hebrew character (Orthosia gothica) is a moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found throughout Europe. Both the common and binomial names of this moth refer to distinctive black markings, one on each wing. These markings resemble the Hebrew letter nun (נ), and also a gothic arch.
The wingspan is 30–40 mm. Forewing sandy rufous, black speckled, median area generally deeper rufous: lines browner, forewing purplish red brown; the lines pale, ill defined, except by black spots at costa; the cell black; stigmata pale and large; claviform connected with outer line by a black bar; above which the base of vein 2 is often surrounded with rufous; hindwing fuscous. The size of the orbicular stigma is variable, and the amount and shape of the black filling in of the cell is determined by this variation; in ab. gothicina H.-Sch. the black markings are replaced by olive brown or rufous; it is a northern form, occurring in Scotland, Scandinavia and Finland, and in the Tarbagatai Mountains; askoldensis Stgr. [now full species Orthosia askoldensis] from Amurland... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 6 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania | |
| 7 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 8 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 10 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hebrew Character sighting in Bucharest on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 218th most-seen of the 361 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.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hebrew Character in Bucharest on a given day, against under 5% in May to February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hebrew Character sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Hebrew Character sightings, Bucharest ranks 6th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%), London (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Hebrew Character that you can see in Bucharest (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Silver Υ (about 20%), Spotted Sulphur (about 10%) and Knot Grass Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hebrew Character is recorded against all the insects logged in Bucharest (7 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.
