Autographa gamma
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The silver Y (Autographa gamma) is a migratory moth of the family Noctuidae which is named for the silvery Y-shaped mark on each of its forewings. The species is widespread throughout most of the palearctic. The silver Y is a medium-sized moth with a wingspan described in the range of 30-45 mm.
The wings are intricately patterned with various shades of brown and grey serving as camouflage. In the centre of each forewing there is a silver-coloured mark shaped like a lower case Y (y) or a lower case Greek letter gamma (γ). There are several different forms with varying colours depending on the climate in which the larvae grow.
P. gamma Forewing purplish grey, with darker suffusion in places; the lines pale silvery edged on both sides with dark fuscous, the outer line indented on vein 2 and submedian fold, as in circumflexa; the oblique orbicular and the reniform conversely oblique and constricted in middle, both edged with silvery: the median area below middle blackish, containing a silvery gamma; the subterminal dentate and indented, preceded by a darker shade; hindwing brownish grey with darker veins and a broad blackish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 7 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 12 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 15 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 16 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 17 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania | |
| 5 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 6 | Jerusalem | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 7 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Astana | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 9 | Turin | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 10 | Sofia | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Silver Υ sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 92nd most-seen of the 479 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.
May and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Silver Υ in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August–October and December–March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver Υ 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.
Among the best
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Silver Υ sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park ranks 5th at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 20%), Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 20%) and Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 20%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Silver Υ that you can see in Sierra Nevada National Park (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Turnip Moth (about 20%), The Bordered Straw (about 20%) and Black Collar Moth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silver Υ is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (19 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.
