Acronicta psi
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The grey dagger (Acronicta psi) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species can be found from Europe and North Africa to northern Iran, central Asia, southern and central Siberia and Mongolia. In the Levant it is found in Lebanon and Israel.
These moths mainly inhabit deciduous forests, hedgerows, parks and gardens, at an elevation up to 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) above sea level. Acronicta psi has a wingspan of 34–45 mm (1.3–1.8 in). These moths have grey forewings with bold black dagger-shaped markings. (The Latin specific name also refers to these markings, as resembling the Greek letter psi, ψ.) The hindwings are dirty grey, generally paler in the male.
The moth is very similar to the dark dagger (Acronicta tridens) and identification is generally only possible by minute examination of the genitalia. See Townsend et al. However, in general this moth is generally darker in colour than the dark dagger and always lacks the white hindwings often present in the male of that species. Moreover, the larvae of the two species are very different.
The larva of Acronicta psi is quite hairy, greyish or brownish below and black above, with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 5 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 7 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Dagger sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 422nd 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Dagger in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grey Dagger sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Grey Dagger sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%), Cairngorms National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Cévennes National Park (France, under 5%).
Same genus: Acronicta
The closest relatives of the Grey Dagger that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (genus Acronicta, Dagger Moths) are Knot Grass Moth (about 10%), Sycamore Moth (about 10%) and Poplar Grey (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey Dagger is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (11 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.
