Description: Wingspan 26-32mm. This is the smallest of the four Swifts found in N. Ireland. The males are brightly marked with golden-brown forewings. These have white markings which can vary in both size and shape. Females, which are slightly larger and much duller than males, have forewings with greyish markings. Late May until the end of June with a peak around mid-June.

Irish Distribution: It is fairly common in Armagh, Down and parts of Fermanagh in the west. Records are more scattered in Tyrone and the northern counties. It has also been recorded from Rathlin in the late 1980's.

Ecology: A species associated with heaths, bogs and woodland margins. The males are often seen at dusk in large numbers hovering over bracken to attract females. Paired adults can be frequently found on the underside of the leaves and other low-growing vegetation. The subterranean larva feeds on the roots and inside the stems of bracken and other low growing plants.

Key Identification Features:

• Male forewings golden brown with white or cream markings
• Female wings duller with grey markings
• Hindwings in both sexes dingy brown

Distribution Map from NBN: Hepialus hecta at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Hepialus hecta at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.