Common Swift

ADULT: Wingspan - 27 - 40mm. A brown moth with a varaible amount of white markings that tend towards forming a V-like shape on the upper forwewing. The most common of the swifts. Females are larger than males. CHRYSALIS: N/A. LARVA: Greyish-white and shiny with a brownish head. The body is covered in dark hairs that arise from orange warts on each thoracic segment. Two-year life-cycle underground. Feeds on the roots of various plants. BEHAVIOUR: Attracted to light. HABITAT: Gardens, grassland, parks, moors, woodland rides and urban areas. FLIGHT PERIOD: Single brooded. May to July. STATUS: Resident and common. More local in Scotland.