‘Thrilled’: huge swarms of bogong moths surprise NSW residents and may point to species’ recovery
Summary
Large groups of bogong moths have appeared in New South Wales, surprising locals and scientists. These moths, which are endangered and migrate to the Australian Alps each spring, show signs of a population recovery after a sharp decline in recent years.Key Facts
- Bogong moths migrate up to 1,000 km to cool caves in the Australian Alps every spring to escape the heat.
- Sightings have recently increased significantly, with reports of large swarms in NSW and the Australian Capital Territory.
- Volunteers use non-harmful methods to count moths and have observed dozens to over 200 moths at a time.
- Bogong moths play an important role as pollinators and as food for the endangered mountain pygmy possum.
- The moth population crashed by about 99.5% between 2017 and 2019 but is now showing signs of improvement.
- The moths are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature since 2021.
- Moths can navigate using the stars and sometimes get blown off course, even reaching New Zealand.
- Wetter and cooler weather recently has likely helped improve moth numbers after past climate challenges.
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