#2608 · 🦋 butterflies & moths
Swallow-tailed Moth
🇳🇱 Vliervlinder ·Ourapteryx sambucaria
8 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
what is it?
The swallow-tailed moth ( Ourapteryx sambucaria ) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species across Europe and the Near East.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 110 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 5,432 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Swallow-tailed Moth
- Nederlands
- Vliervlinder
- scientific name
- Ourapteryx sambucaria
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Lepidoptera
- family
- Geometridae
- sightings in NL
- 110
- sightings in Europe
- 5,045
- sightings worldwide
- 5,432
- GBIF records in NL
- 14,880
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
relatives· Geometridae
#2406 📷 8Riband Wave
🇳🇱 Grijze stipspanner
Idaea aversata
👀 977 in NL
#2408 📷 7Yellow Shell Moth
🇳🇱 Gestreepte Goudspanner
Camptogramma bilineata
👀 893 in NL
#2409 📷 10Small Dusty Wave
🇳🇱 Paardenbloemspanner
Idaea seriata
👀 889 in NL
#2412 📷 10Willow Beauty
🇳🇱 Schaduwspikkelspanner
Peribatodes rhomboidaria
👀 725 in NL
#2418 📷 10Double-striped Pug
🇳🇱 Zwartkamdwergspanner
Gymnoscelis rufifasciata
👀 668 in NL
#2435 📷 8Single-dotted Wave
🇳🇱 Vlekstipspanner
Idaea dimidiata
👀 509 in NL
#2438 📷 10Small Engrailed
🇳🇱 Gewone spikkelspanner
Ectropis crepuscularia
👀 486 in NL
#2444 📷 10Brimstone Moth
🇳🇱 Hagedoornvlinder
Opisthograptis luteolata
👀 435 in NL
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 205220, Wikidata Q1625300, GBIF 1958323, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.