Carcharodus floccifera
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Muschampia floccifera, the tufted skipper or tufted marbled skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Muschampia floccifera has a wingspan of 32–35 millimetres (1.3–1.4 in). It shows a toothed hind wing edge, glass spots on the forewings and grey-brown patterned wing markings. In central Europe Muschampia floccifera can only be confused with Carcharodus alceae. However Muschampia flocciferus differs from this C. alceae by the clearly protruding white spot in the center of the upper side of the hind wing. Further characteristic features are radial white drawing elements on the outer edge of the underside of the hind wing and (in the male) a tuft of hair on the underside of the forewings. This tuft shows often a rusty colour, hence the common name of the species. Antennae show a black spot on the top. Muschampia floccifera is also quite similar in appearance to Muschampia lavatherae and Muschampia orientalis.
The relatively compact and strongly hairy caterpillars are initially gray with a black head. Later they become somewhat brighter. The pupa is bluish with a black longitudinal stripe on the back of the thorax. The total distribution extends from... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tufted Skipper sighting in Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 129th most-seen of the 412 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.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tufted Skipper in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tufted Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Tufted Skipper sightings, Mercantour National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Vanoise National Park (France, about 20%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Tufted Skipper that you can see in Mercantour National Park (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Safflower Skipper (about 30%), Common Branded Skipper (about 30%) and Dingy Skipper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tufted Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Mercantour National Park (18 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.
