Cocksfoot Moth

Cocksfoot Moth

Glyphipterix simpliciella

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at London

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

8 Verified sightings at London
5 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Cocksfoot Moth

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
3 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
4 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Cocksfoot Moth in London?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cocksfoot Moth sighting in London on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1153rd most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Cocksfoot Moth in London?

May

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cocksfoot Moth in London on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.

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

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.

Is London the best place to see a Cocksfoot Moth?

4th of 4

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

Where does the Cocksfoot Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Cocksfoot Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in London (8 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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