Consul fabius
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Consul fabius, the tiger leafwing, is the most common and well known species of the genus Consul of subfamily Charaxinae in the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae). It is found all over the Neotropics. The length of the forewings reaches about 30–40 millimetres (1.2–1.6 in). The uppersides of the wings have a bright orange and black pattern, with two yellow bands across the angular forewings. The hindwings are tailed. This butterfly is part of a mimicry ring, as a matter of fact the cryptic undersides of the wings mimic a dead leaf. The eggs are laid on the leaves of various species of Piperaceae (Piper tuberculatum, Piper auritum, Piper umbellatum, etc.), of which the caterpillars feed. The caterpillars are dark green with reddish spots along the back, while the chrysalis are pale green.
Consul fabius occurs from Mexico to the Amazon basin (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, Venezuela). This species is present in deciduous forest, rainforest, and cloud forest. It usually prefers the forest canopy, the banks of rivers and the forest edges, at elevations between sea level and about... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 7 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tiger Leafwing sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 114th most-seen of the 302 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tiger Leafwing in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April and August–November, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tiger Leafwing 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 9 parks where we can rate Tiger Leafwing sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 7th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Marino Ballena National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%), Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 10%) and Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Tiger Leafwing that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Banded Peacock (about 30%), Banded Owl-Butterfly (about 20%) and Julia Heliconian (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tiger Leafwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (11 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.
