Blinded Sphinx

Blinded Sphinx

Paonias excaecata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Montreal

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

35 Verified sightings at Montreal
140 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Blinded Sphinx

Paonias excaecata, the blinded sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
3 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
4 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
6 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
10 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Blinded Sphinx in Montreal?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blinded Sphinx sighting in Montreal on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 240th most-seen of the 926 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 Blinded Sphinx in Montreal?

June and July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blinded Sphinx in Montreal on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Blinded Sphinx?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blinded Sphinx 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 Montreal the best place to see a Blinded Sphinx?

3rd of 12

Of the 12 cities where we can rate Blinded Sphinx sightings, Montreal ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Denver (United States, about 10%) and Boston (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Blinded Sphinx sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Blinded Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Montreal (35 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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