Cometaster pyrula
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Cometaster is a monotypic moth genus of the family Erebidae erected by George Hampson in 1913. Its only species, Cometaster pyrula, the faint owl moth or ying-yang moth, was first described by Carl Heinrich Hopffer in 1857. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Faint Owl Moth sighting in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 41 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Faint Owl Moth in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–October and December, the lowest months. That is one of Gorongosa National Park's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain against 15 mm in May.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Faint Owl Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Faint Owl Moth sightings, Gorongosa National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Faint Owl Moth that you can see in Gorongosa National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Sundowner Moth (about 30%), Crimson-Speckled Flunkey (about 20%) and Creamstriped Owl (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Faint Owl Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Gorongosa 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.
