Sphinx pinastri
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 199th most-seen of the 412 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.
July and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Hawkmoth in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months. Those are among Mercantour National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain a month against 140 mm in October.
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.
4th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Pine Hawkmoth sightings, Mercantour National Park ranks 4th 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%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Pine Hawkmoth that you can see in Mercantour National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth (about 20%), Small Elephant Hawkmoth (about 20%) and Striped Hawkmoth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pine Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Mercantour National Park (10 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.
