Sestra flexata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Sestra flexata, also known as the common fern looper, is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. S. flexata was first described by Francis Walker in 1862 using specimens collected either in Auckland by D. Bolton. Walker originally named the species Cidaria flexata. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. The male holotype is held at the Natural History Museum, London.
The pale yellow egg is cylindrical in shape. The larva of this species is coloured dark brown and is 25 to 30 mm long when mature. The larvae are approximately 1 to 1+1⁄4 inch long and is a brownish greenish colour with yellow tones underneath. Down its back is a brown line with two more lines down its sides. It also has a few black markings and a number of short bristles.
Walker described the adult of this species as follows: Female. Cinereous fawn-colour, ochraceous beneath. Palpi slender, very short, obliquely ascending. Abdomen yellowish. Forewings acute, subfalcate, with a blackish shade on nearly half the middle space and along the exterior border, which is distinctly... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Fern Looper sighting in Egmont National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 69th most-seen of the 191 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Fern Looper in Egmont National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Fern Looper sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Common Fern Looper sightings, Egmont National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Fiordland National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Common Fern Looper that you can see in Egmont National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Forest Semilooper (about 20%), Oblique-Waved Fern Looper (about 20%) and Common Forest Looper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Fern Looper is recorded against all the insects logged in Egmont National Park (9 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.
