Caper White

Caper White

Belenois java

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Bali Barat National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

11 Verified sightings at Bali Barat National Park From 2019 to 2026
324 In all 12 parks
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Caper White

Belenois java, the caper white or common white, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae found in Australia, Indonesia, and Melanesia. It is highly migratory and is often confused with the cabbage white (Pieris rapae).

The upper surface of the male's wings are white with a broad black apical patch, the hindwing has a black terminal border. On both wings the black area encloses white dots. The under surface of the hindwing is almost exclusively black except for white and yellow patches between the veins. The wingspan on the male is 5 cm whereas the female's wingspan is larger at 6 cm. The female can vary dramatically including a pale form which looks strikingly similar to the male. The upper surface of the wings is white and have a much broader black margin. The body of both is olive green to dark brown.

The first instar of this species is pale yellow sparsely covered in long hairs. The later instars of this species are dark brownish-green with white and yellow raised spots. The head has a V-shaped white mark and is shiny black. There are two lines of hair on the side of the caterpillar's 3-cm body in its later stages. The pupa is white... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
2 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
3 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
4 Komodo National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
5 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
6 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
7 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
8 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
9 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
10 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
11 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
12 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
2 Denpasar 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
3 Melbourne 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
4 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Caper White in Bali Barat National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Caper White sighting in Bali Barat National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd 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 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Caper White in Bali Barat National Park?

December and January

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Caper White in Bali Barat National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May, July–August and October, the lowest months. Those are among Bali Barat National Park's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in August.

What time of day is best to see a Caper White?

Between 1 and 4 pm

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

Is Bali Barat National Park the best place to see a Caper White?

Among the best

Of the 12 parks where we can rate Caper White sightings, Bali Barat National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Grampians National Park (Australia, about 30%).

Where does the Caper White sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Caper White is recorded against all the insects logged in Bali Barat 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.

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