Apple-Green Swallowtail

Apple-Green Swallowtail

Papilio phorcas

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Arusha National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~80%

7 Verified sightings at Arusha National Park From 2019 to 2026
113 In all 6 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Apple-Green Swallowtail

Papilio phorcas, the apple-green swallowtail or green-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa. The larvae feed on Teclea nobilis, Teclea simplicifolia, Macrostylis villosa, Vepris, Calodendrum, Clausena, Citrus, Fagara and Toddalia species.

A tailed species. The ground colour is black, with green markings. Papilio phorcas is a member of the dardanus species group. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~50%
2 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
3 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
4 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
5 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
6 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Apple-Green Swallowtail in Arusha National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Apple-Green Swallowtail sighting in Arusha National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 13 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Apple-Green Swallowtail in Arusha National Park?

August to October

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Apple-Green Swallowtail in Arusha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–July and December, the lowest months. Those are among Arusha National Park's driest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against 440 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see an Apple-Green Swallowtail?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Apple-Green Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the Apple-Green Swallowtail live in Arusha National Park?

Same genus: Papilio

The closest relatives of the Apple-Green Swallowtail that you can see in Arusha National Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Emperor Swallowtail (about 20%), Mocker Swallowtail (about 20%) and Citrus Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Apple-Green Swallowtail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Apple-Green Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Arusha National Park (7 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.

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