Sundowner Moth

Sundowner Moth

Sphingomorpha chlorea

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

15 Verified sightings at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park From 2019 to 2026
313 In all 17 parks
December Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Sundowner Moth

Sphingomorpha chlorea, the sundowner moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae that is native to Africa and southern Asia. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. It is a fruit-piercing moth and a notorious pest in orchards. The fruit is pierced while performing a vertical and rhythmic movement of the head. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~30%
2 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~30%
3 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
4 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
5 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~20%
6 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
7 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
8 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
9 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
10 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
11 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
12 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
13 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
14 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
15 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
16 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
17 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
2 Harare 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
3 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Lusaka 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
5 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
6 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
7 Bengaluru 🇮🇳 India
~10%
8 Chennai 🇮🇳 India
<5%
9 Pune 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Sundowner Moth in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Sundowner Moth sighting in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 44 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Sundowner Moth in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park?

December

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Sundowner Moth in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March, June–July and October–November, the lowest months. That is one of Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 15 mm in June.

What time of day is best to see a Sundowner Moth?

Between 7 and 10 pm

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

Is Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park the best place to see a Sundowner Moth?

6th of 17

Of the 17 parks where we can rate Sundowner Moth sightings, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 30%), Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique, about 30%) and Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Sundowner Moth live in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park?

Same family: Erebidae

The closest relatives of the Sundowner Moth that you can see in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Orange Tiger (about 10%), Creamstriped Owl (about 10%) and Lederhosen Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Sundowner Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Sundowner Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (15 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.

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