Precis octavia
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Precis octavia, the gaudy commodore, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is native to Africa. Precis octavia was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. The nominate subspecies (Precis octavia octavia) flies from West Africa, through Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, north to Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. It has a wet season form—orange with a pinkish flush and black markings on the upperside—and a dry season form—shining blue with a vivid red band on the hindwing. In his authoritative 2-vol. book "Butterflies of West Africa", Torben B. Larsen states "I believe this species has the most spectacular seasonal dimorphism of any butterfly, and the two morphs were [first] described as distinct species."
The southern subspecies (Precis octavia sesamus) also has two seasonal forms: a summer form (natalensis) which is red with black markings, and a winter form (sesamus) which is blue with a line of red markings on the wings. The winter form is slightly larger than the summer form. In both forms the males and females are alike, however the females are slightly larger.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gaudy Commodore sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 198 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gaudy Commodore in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–January, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gaudy Commodore sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Gaudy Commodore sightings, Addo Elephant National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Gaudy Commodore that you can see in Addo Elephant National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Yellow Pansy (about 20%), Painted Lady (about 20%) and Junonia archesia (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gaudy Commodore is recorded against all the insects logged in Addo Elephant National Park (16 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
