Clover Hayworm Moth vs Red Avadavat

Hypsopygia costalis compared with Amandava amandava

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Hayworm Moth	Red Avadavat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Pyralidae	Estrildidae
Genus	Hypsopygia	Amandava
Species	Hypsopygia costalis	Amandava amandava

Evolutionary Relationship

Clover Hayworm Moth and Red Avadavat share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Clover Hayworm Moth

LC — Least Concern

Red Avadavat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Hayworm Moth	Red Avadavat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clover Hayworm Moth

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Red Avadavat

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (10 countries), Europe (9 countries), and North America (United States).

Clover Hayworm Moth

The clover hayworm moth (Hypsopygia costalis) is a pyralid moth in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Hypsopygia, order Lepidoptera. The common name hayworm moth reflects the larval habit of feeding on dry plant material, including stored hay, dried plant debris, leaf litter, and decaying organic matter — a diet unusual among moths, most of which feed on living plant tissue. Larvae of H. costalis inhabit accumulated plant detritus such as thatch, stored grass clippings, compost, and dry stacks of hay or straw, earning the species its association with agricultural storage environments. Adults are small, brightly colored moths with distinctive red, yellow, and ochre wing markings that make them more visible than many pyralids, potentially functioning as aposematic coloration or mimicry. The species is distributed across Europe, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, extending to North America. It inhabits a variety of habitats wherever decaying plant material accumulates, including agricultural settings, gardens, woodland edges, and semi-natural grasslands. H. costalis is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with populations considered stable and the species not subject to significant threats. The species has one generation per year in most of its range, with adults flying from late spring through summer. Larvae overwinter in plant debris. H. costalis rarely causes significant economic damage despite its association with stored plant material.

Red Avadavat

A brilliantly colored small finch of South and Southeast Asia, red avadavats — also called strawberry finches — display deep crimson plumage with white spots across the body in breeding males. They inhabit tall grasslands, reeds, and scrub near water from Pakistan and India east to Indonesia. Popular cage birds across Asia and now established as introduced populations in parts of Europe, Japan, and the Caribbean. They live in flocks and produce quiet, musical calls.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States