Local in houses, bird nests, barns, warehouses and granaries throughout the British Isles. In Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight sparsely distributed but widespread. Wingspan 9-16 mm. Probably the commonest tineid clothes moth, but cannot always be reliably separated from
T. translucens or
T. dubiella without dissection of the genitalia. Larva feeds on woollen materials, fur, feathers, hair, owl pellets and stored goods, living within a silken case, causing sufficient damage to be a serious pest in some areas.