Dyspteris abortivaria
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Dyspteris is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae and was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1818. It is monotypic, being represented by a single species, Dyspteris abortivaria, commonly known as the bad-wing. This species was first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1855 and is found in North America.
It is called "bad-wing" because its forewing is much larger than its hindwing, making it often difficult to pull into position for spreading. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bad-Wing Moth sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 113th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bad-Wing Moth in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bad-Wing Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Bad-Wing Moth sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Bad-Wing Moth that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Tulip-Tree Beauty (about 30%), White-Striped Black (about 20%) and Pale Beauty (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bad-Wing Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (47 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.
