Wingspan 16 to 19mm. Very similar to the closely related A. populella and examination of the genitalia may be needed to be certain in differentiating between these two species.

They rest on large birch trunks during the day.

Adults fly at night from July to September and sometimes come to light.

Larvae feed on birch (Betula) in May and June in a leaf rolled longitudinally along the mid-rib.

The moth is found in most of England but is absent in Devon and Cornwall and the most northern counties. It is also absent from Scotland and most of Wales. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

It appears to be uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland, where there are few records. L&R Moth Group status = D (rare or rarely recorded).