Nyctemera annulatum
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Nyctemera annulata, the magpie moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1832. It is endemic to New Zealand and found in all parts of the country. The magpie moth's "woolly bear" caterpillars are around 35–38 mm when fully grown and predominantly black with lines of red down its sides and back, blue spots and tufts of hair on each segment. Its liking for the introduced ragwort causes its caterpillars to be sometimes misidentified as those of the cinnabar moth which was introduced as a biological control for ragwort. By contrast cinnabar caterpillars have smooth bodies with alternating yellow and black rings.
The adult moth has black wings with white markings on both the forewings and hindwings. The forewings have two white spots that are more elongated while the hindwing only has a single spot near to the centre; the wingspan is 35–45 mm. The thorax and abdomen of the moth are black with bands of orange. The magpie moth is diurnal which, coupled with its colourful markings means it is often mistaken for a butterfly. It is most active from September to June in the mornings and evenings where it can be seen... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Magpie Moth sighting in Rakiura National Park on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 118 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November and December
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Magpie Moth in Rakiura National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and May–August, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most New Zealand Magpie Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate New Zealand Magpie Moth sightings, Rakiura National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Fiordland National Park (New Zealand, about 10%) and Egmont National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the New Zealand Magpie Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Rakiura National Park (29 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.
