Idaea aversata
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The riband wave (Idaea aversata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is an abundant species in Europe, the Near East and North Africa and across the Palearctic. Records are few in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula. The north border is northern Sweden and northern Finland. The northernmost parts of Russia and a few areas of Russia, northwest of the Caspian Sea are excluded. In North Africa (eastern Algeria and Tunisia), there is a smaller presence belonging to a separate subspecies (Idaea aversata indeviata Prout, 1935). Outside Europe, the distribution area extends from northern Turkey up to the Caucasus, from there via Central Asia, Siberia and north-east China to Japan. The occurrence in Japan is regarded as subspecies (Idaea aversata japonica Inoue, 1955). A small, isolated occurrence in southern Turkey is remarkable.
The species has a wingspan of 30–35 mm. Its distinctive outline is familiar at lighted windows. The wings are buff or cream with dark fasciae (bands). Two main forms exist, equally abundant: one has darker shading between... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 6 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 8 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 9 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Riband Wave sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 183 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 818 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.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Riband Wave in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Riband Wave 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.
3rd of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Riband Wave sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 20%) and Vanoise National Park (France, about 10%).
Same genus: Idaea
The closest relatives of the Riband Wave that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (genus Idaea) are Single-Dotted Wave (about 10%), Small Scallop (about 10%) and Small Fan-Footed Wave (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Riband Wave is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (183 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.
