Colotois pennaria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The feathered thorn (Colotois pennaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. The common name derives from the very strong feathering on the antennae of the male. Also the species name pennaria derives from the Latin suffix aria – meaning "related to or connected with" – at the end of the Latin word penna meaning "feather".
The forewings of this species are basically brown but individuals vary greatly in tone from drab light brown to much richer reddish tones. They are usually marked with two dark fascia and a small discal spot but these features can be faint or almost absent. The hindwings are lighter buffish brown. The wingspan is 46–50 mm, the males being usually larger and broader-winged than the females. Prout describes the aberrations The females tend to be rather sluggish but the males fly actively at night and are attracted to light. The species is on the wing from September to November [1].
The egg is olive-green with a ring of pale specks round the micropylar end; laid in a cluster on a twig, hibernating.The caterpillar is hairless, brown or purplish grey with ochreous spots and purplish grey... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Feathered Thorn sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 6 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.
October
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Feathered Thorn in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months. That is one of Wadden Sea National Park's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 45 mm in April.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Feathered Thorn sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Feathered Thorn sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%), Cévennes National Park (France, under 5%) and Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (Spain, under 5%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Feathered Thorn that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Riband Wave (about 10%), Yellow Shell Moth (about 10%) and Small Engrailed (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Feathered Thorn is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea 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.
