Cinnabar moths are day-flying insects. Like many other brightly colored moths, it cannot be eaten. The larvae use members of the genus "Senecio" as foodplants. Newly hatched larvae feed from under the ragwort leaves to the area of their old eggs. The larvae absorb toxic and bitter tasting alkaloid substances from the foodplants. This makes them unable to be eaten themselves. The bright colors of both the larvae and the moths act as warning signs. Partly due to this they are seldom eaten by predators. An exception is among different species of Cuckoo which eat hairy and poisonous caterpillars including cinnabar moth larvae.