---
title: "European Corn Borer Moth"
description: "Ostrinia nubilalis — Insects & spiders. The European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), also known as the European corn worm or European high-flyer, is a moth of the family Crambidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/european-corn-borer-moth
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# European Corn Borer Moth

> Ostrinia nubilalis — Insects & spiders. The European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), also known as the European corn worm or European high-flyer, is a moth of the family Crambidae.

- Scientific name: *Ostrinia nubilalis*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows), `farm` (Farm)
- iNaturalist observations: 9406
- Wikidata: [Q1049481](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1049481)
- iNaturalist taxon: [142981](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/142981)

## Names

- en: European Corn Borer Moth
- de: Maiszünsler
- es: Barrenador europeo del maíz
- fr: Pyrale du maïs
- nl: Europese maisboorder
- pl: Przezierka prosowianka

## Countries with the most observations

FR (808), AT (795), IT (773), DE (641), US (639), GB (532), HU (456), CA (312), RU (279), PL (266), BG (159), DK (144)

## Summary

The European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), also known as the European corn worm or European high-flyer, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is a pest of grain, particularly maize (Zea mays). The insect is native to Europe, originally infesting varieties of millet, including broom corn. The European corn borer was first reported in North America in 1917 in Massachusetts, but was probably introduced from Europe several years earlier. Since its initial discovery in the Americas, the insect has spread into Canada and westwards across the United States to the Rocky Mountains.
The adult European corn borer is about…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_corn_borer

## Photo

![European Corn Borer Moth](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/european-corn-borer-moth/medium.jpg)

Photo: Federico Del Barba · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/93690981

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/european-corn-borer-moth?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).