Sphinx pinastri
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Sphinx pinastri, the pine hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found in Palearctic realm and sometimes the Nearctic realm. This species has been found in Scotland but is usually found in England. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The larvae feed on Scots pine, Swiss pine, Siberian pine and Norway spruce. The wings of Sphinx pinastri are grey with black dashes. The wingspan is 2+3⁄4–3+1⁄2 inches (70–89 mm). The moth flies from April to August depending on the location.
The back of the thorax is grey with two dark bands around both sides. The females lay their eggs in groups of two or three along pine or spruce needles. "69.007 BF1978 Pine Hawk-moth Sphinx pinastri Linnaeus, 1758". UKMoths. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
"06834 Sphinx pinastri Linnaeus, 1758 - Kiefernschwärmer". Lepiforum e.V. Retrieved January 7, 2019. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 3 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 4 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 2 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 3 | Minsk | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 4 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 6 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 8 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Hawkmoth sighting in Ecrins National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 213th most-seen of the 251 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Hawkmoth in Ecrins National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months. Those are among Ecrins National Park's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 160 mm in December.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pine Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
9th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Pine Hawkmoth sightings, Ecrins National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 20%), Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 20%) and Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pine Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Ecrins National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
