Feathered Thorn

Feathered Thorn

Colotois pennaria

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Nizhny Novgorod

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

6 Verified sightings at Nizhny Novgorod
27 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Feathered Thorn

The feathered thorn (Colotois pennaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. The common name derives from the very strong feathering on the antennae of the male. Also the species name pennaria derives from the Latin suffix aria – meaning "related to or connected with" – at the end of the Latin word penna meaning "feather".

The forewings of this species are basically brown but individuals vary greatly in tone from drab light brown to much richer reddish tones. They are usually marked with two dark fascia and a small discal spot but these features can be faint or almost absent. The hindwings are lighter buffish brown. The wingspan is 46–50 mm, the males being usually larger and broader-winged than the females. Prout describes the aberrations The females tend to be rather sluggish but the males fly actively at night and are attracted to light. The species is on the wing from September to November [1].

The egg is olive-green with a ring of pale specks round the micropylar end; laid in a cluster on a twig, hibernating.The caterpillar is hairless, brown or purplish grey with ochreous spots and purplish grey... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
3 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
4 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~20%
2 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
4 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
7 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
8 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%
9 Bucharest 🇷🇴 Romania
<5%
10 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Feathered Thorn in Nizhny Novgorod?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Feathered Thorn sighting in Nizhny Novgorod on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 293rd most-seen of the 405 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 Feathered Thorn in Nizhny Novgorod?

September and October

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Feathered Thorn in Nizhny Novgorod on a given day, against under 5% in November to August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Feathered Thorn?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Feathered Thorn sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Nizhny Novgorod the best place to see a Feathered Thorn?

16th of 21

Of the 21 cities where we can rate Feathered Thorn sightings, Nizhny Novgorod ranks 16th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 20%), Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Vienna (Austria, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Feathered Thorn live in Nizhny Novgorod?

Same family: Geometridae

The closest relatives of the Feathered Thorn that you can see in Nizhny Novgorod (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Blood Vein (about 10%), Dark Spinach (about 10%) and Common Heath (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Feathered Thorn sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Feathered Thorn is recorded against all the insects logged in Nizhny Novgorod (6 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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