Glyphipterix simpliciella
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Glyphipterix simpliciella, the cocksfoot moth, is a species of moth of the family Glyphipterigidae. This quite common species can be found in the western part of the Palearctic realm and is common in much of Great Britain and Ireland. This species is also found in New Zealand.
These small moths mainly inhabit flower meadows, especially with buttercup and there are often many on one flower. Glyphipterix simpliciella has a wingspan of 6–9 mm. and can reach a length of 3–4 mm. These tiny cryptic moths have dark brown forewings with a slightly metallic sheen. They also show a black apical spot and five white or silvery streaks along their costa, two across the dorsum and one in the posterior corner of the wings. The hindwings are dark grey, with grey cilia. Both sexes are similar.
This species is rather similar to Glyphipterix equitella and Glyphipterix schoenicolella. It is a univoltine species. Adults are on wing from May to July. They fly in the sunshine and especially feed on nectar of buttercup (Ranunculus species), Crataegus monogyna, Euphorbia esula, and of various Apiaceae species (especially Leucanthemum vulgare... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cocksfoot Moth sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 699th most-seen of the 818 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.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cocksfoot Moth in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months. That is one of Wadden Sea National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 140 mm in November.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cocksfoot Moth sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Wadden Sea National Park, in our data
Wadden Sea National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Cocksfoot Moth sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Cocksfoot Moth that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Red Admiral (about 30%), Large Yellow Underwing (about 20%) and Small Copper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cocksfoot Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (5 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.
