Abraxas sylvata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Abraxas sylvata, the clouded magpie, is a Palearctic moth of the family Geometridae that was named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763. This moth is mostly white with brownish patches across all of the wings. There are small areas of pale gray on the forewings and hindwings. They resemble bird droppings while resting on the upper surface of leaves. The wingspan is 38 mm. to 48 mm. The wings are thinly scaled and partially transparent, with a white ground colour. The forewings are yellow-brown at the base and have a large, yellow and black spot at the dorsal edge, otherwise scattered, light grey spots, some of which form a cross-band in the outer part of the wing. The hindwings have a yellow and black spot at the edge of the inner edge, otherwise scattered, light grey spots. The larva has black and yellow longitudinal stripes.
Abraxas sylvata sylvata Abraxas sylvata microtate Wehrli, 1931 (Japan) The adults fly from late May to early August. They are attracted to light. The moth is nocturnal and is easy to find during the day. They are easy to find resting during the morning. The moth starts being active at early dusk. The moths eat the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Clouded Magpie sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 50 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 96th most-seen of the 838 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Clouded Magpie in Helsinki on a given day, against under 5% in November to May, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Clouded Magpie sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Clouded Magpie sightings, Helsinki has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Novosibirsk (Russia, about 10%) and Moscow (Russia, under 5%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Clouded Magpie that you can see in Helsinki (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Common Carpet Moth (about 10%), Mottled Umber (about 10%) and Latticed Heath (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Clouded Magpie is recorded against all the insects logged in Helsinki (50 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.
