Cilix glaucata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Cilix glaucata, the Chinese character, is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It was first described by the Italian physician and naturalist, Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1763 Entomologia Carniolica. It is found in Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa.
The wingspan is 18–22 mm. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location. Cilix glaucata lives on sunny and warm forest edges, slopes and hedges, on bushy dry grasslands and heaths, but also in parks. The moth has porcelain-white wings, with a series of small grey spots along the outside edge of the front wing and the inner edge has a large dark brown stain, which turns yellow and grey towards the middle of the wing. Occasionally there are silvery scales. The wingtips are rounded and not curved. If they are sitting in their resting position, they imitate bird droppings. The antennae are only slightly combed.
The silvery scales at the middle of the wings are sometimes said to look like a small letter. Some variations may look like Chinese characters, hence the name. Larva The caterpillars become about 12 millimeters long and are dark brown. The thorax is clearly thickened and the end of the abdomen is... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Character sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 473rd most-seen of the 597 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Character in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to March, the lowest months.
Between 11 pm and 2 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chinese Character sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
5th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Chinese Character sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%), Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Cévennes National Park (France, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chinese Character is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (6 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.
