Editing Peppered moth (section)

=== Resting behaviour ===
{{Pie chart
|value1 = 32
|label1 = Exposed trunk
|value2 = 11
|label2 = Unexposed trunk
|value3 = 46
|label3 = Trunk/branch joint
|value4 = 5
|label4 = Branches
|value5 = 11
|label5 = Foliage
|value6 = 4
|label6 = Artificial surfaces
|caption = Resting position of peppered moths (1964–1985). Total number of moths 109.
<ref name="Howlet 1987">{{cite journal |last1=Howlett |first1=R.J. |last2=Majerus |first2=M.E.N. |title=The understanding of industrial melanism in the peppered moth (''Biston betularia'') (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) |journal=[[Biological Journal of the Linnean Society]] |date=1987 |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=31–44 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.1987.tb00286.x}}</ref>
}}

{{Pie chart
|value1 = 48
|label1 = Trunk
|value2 = 70
|label2 = Branches
|value3 = 17
|label3 = Twigs
|caption = Resting position of peppered moths (2001–2006).  Total number of moths 135.<ref name="Cook 2012">{{cite journal |last1=Cook |first1=L.M. |last2=Grant |first2=B.S. |last3=Saccheri |first3=I.J. |last4=Mallet |first4=J. |title=Selective bird predation on the peppered moth: the last experiment of Michael Majerus |journal=[[Biology Letters]] |date=2012 |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=609–612 |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2011.1136|pmid=22319093 |pmc=3391436 }}</ref>}}


A mating pair or a lone individual will spend the day hiding from predators, particularly birds. Males stay with the female to ensure paternity.{{Citation needed |date=March 2025}} Peppered moths generally rest in the upper part of the trees at unexposed positions. They use three main types of site: (1) a few inches below a branch-trunk joint on a tree trunk where the moth is in shadow; (2) on the underside of branches; and (3) on foliate twigs.<ref name="Howlet 1987" /> Peppered moth researcher [[Michael Majerus]] notes:

<blockquote style="font-size:100%">[[Creationism|Creationist]] critics of the peppered moth have often pointed to a statement made by Clarke ''et al''. (1985): "...&nbsp;In 25 years we have only found two ''betularia'' on the tree trunks or walls adjacent to our traps, and none elsewhere". The reason now seems obvious. Few people spend their time looking for moths up in the trees. That is where peppered moths rest by day.</blockquote>

Further support for these resting positions is given from experiments watching captive moths taking up resting positions in both males (Mikkola, 1979; 1984){{Citation needed|reason=Source given, but no source not linked|date=March 2025}} and females (Liebert and Brakefield, 1987){{Citation needed|reason=Source given, but no source not linked|date=March 2025}}.

Majerus, ''et al.'', (2000){{Citation needed|reason=Source given, but no source not linked|date=March 2025}} have shown that peppered moths are cryptically camouflaged against their backgrounds when they rest in the boughs of trees. It is clear that in human visible [[wavelength]]s, ''typica'' are camouflaged against [[lichen]]s and ''carbonaria'' against plain [[Bark (botany)|bark]]. However, birds are capable of seeing [[ultraviolet]] light that humans cannot see. Using an ultraviolet-sensitive video camera, Majerus et al. showed that ''typica'' reflect ultraviolet light in a speckled fashion and are camouflaged against [[crustose lichen]]s common on branches, both in ultraviolet and human-visible wavelengths. However, ''typica'' are not as well camouflaged against [[foliose lichen]]s common on tree trunks; though they are camouflaged in human wavelengths, in ultraviolet wavelengths, foliose lichens do not reflect ultraviolet light.

During an experiment in [[Cambridge]] over the seven years 2001–2007 Majerus noted the natural resting positions of peppered moths, and of the 135 moths examined over half were on tree branches, mostly on the lower half of the branch, 37% were on tree trunks, mostly on the north side, and only 12.6% were resting on or under twigs.<ref name="Cook 2012" /><ref name="swedentalk">{{cite web |author=Majerus |first=M.E.N.|date=August 2007 |title=The Peppered Moth: The Proof of Darwinian Evolution |url=http://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/research/personal/majerus/Swedentalk220807.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615081639/http://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/research/personal/majerus/Swedentalk220807.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-15 |access-date=2011-02-21}}</ref><ref name="Connor 2007">{{cite news |author=Connor |first=S. |date=25 August 2007 |title=Moth study backs classic 'test case' for Darwin's theory |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2893896.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007043307/http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2893896.ece |archive-date=7 October 2008 |access-date=2007-09-09 |newspaper=The Independent}}</ref>