Meadow Brown

Meadow Brown

Maniola jurtina

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Picos de Europa National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

43 Verified sightings at Picos de Europa National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,516 In all 23 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Meadow Brown

The meadow brown (Maniola jurtina) is a butterfly found in the Palearctic realm. Its range includes Europe south of 62°N, Russia eastwards to the Urals, Asia Minor, Iraq, Iran, North Africa and the Canary Islands. The larvae feed on grasses.

There is marked sexual dimorphism in this species. The upperside of the male is uniformly light brown with a black ocellus centered white at the apex of the forewing, while the female has a tawny patch more or less extended around this ocella. The underside forewing is ochre-colored bordered with dark beige with the same ocelli at the apex in the male, while the hindwing is greyish to brown with a more or less orange band in the female. The males are also much more active and range far about, while females fly less and often may not move away from the area where they grew up.

Above dark brown: the apical ocellus minutely centred with white, being in the male bordered with dull dark yellow, and standing in the female in an ochre-yellow half band, which becomes narrower behind and does not reach the hindmargin. The upperside of the live male has often a splendid metallic gloss and bears a broad scent-patch... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~40%
2 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~40%
3 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~40%
4 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~40%
5 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~30%
6 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
7 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
8 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
9 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
10 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
11 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
12 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
13 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
14 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~20%
15 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
16 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
17 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
18 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
19 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
20 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
21 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
22 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
23 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
2 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
3 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
4 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
5 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~20%
6 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
7 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~20%
8 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
9 Dublin 🇮🇪 Ireland
~20%
10 Istanbul 🇹🇷 Turkey
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Meadow Brown in Picos de Europa National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Meadow Brown sighting in Picos de Europa National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 118 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Meadow Brown in Picos de Europa National Park?

June and July

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Meadow Brown in Picos de Europa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Meadow Brown?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Meadow Brown sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Picos de Europa National Park the best place to see a Meadow Brown?

Among the best

Of the 23 parks where we can rate Meadow Brown sightings, Picos de Europa National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 40%) and Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 40%). All parks ranked.

Which relatives of the Meadow Brown live in Picos de Europa National Park?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Meadow Brown that you can see in Picos de Europa National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Speckled Wood (about 50%), Marbled White (about 40%) and Small Tortoiseshell (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Meadow Brown sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Meadow Brown is recorded against all the insects logged in Picos de Europa National Park (43 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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