21 December 2011 Last updated at 05:46 ET

'Record numbers' of silky wave moths in Avon Gorge

The Avon Gorge is one of three places in the UK where silky wave moths can be found

"Record numbers" of a rare species of moth have been recorded in the Avon Gorge in Bristol.

The gorge is one of only three places in the UK where silky wave moths can be found.

They also inhabit the Gower in south Wales and the Great Orme in north Wales.

A survey by Bristol Zoo and the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation found 954 moths in 15 sites in the gorge over a nine-week period.

Zoo conservation officer Maddy Rees said 119 moths were recorded in one day at one site.

"The maximum found at the same site in previous years was 33 in 2001, so this is a fantastic result," she said.

She said moths had also been found in sites they had never been seen in before.