Erynnis tristis
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Erynnis tristis, commonly known as the mournful duskywing, is a species of spread-wing skipper in the butterfly family Hesperiidae that is commonly found in North America in oak woodlands. It is mottled brown with a white fringe on the hind wings. It is commonly mistaken for Erynnis funeralis due to both species having a white fringe on the hindwing. Erynnis tristis relies heavily on a variety of oak species as a hostplant, where the larvae feed on oak while the adults nectar from a variety of wild and garden flowers. This butterfly mates through hill-topping, where males perch on various objects to attract females.
The spherical eggs are laid on the terminal end of a hostplant. While initially yellow, the eggs will turn deep orange with maturation. Rather than being laid in clusters or groups, females will lay their eggs singly in separate locations. Once the egg progresses to the larval stage, the larvae are gray-green, covered with white spots throughout its body, and has lateral yellow stripes. The head has a brown coloration. The pupa are gray-green and are hairy.
The majority of the vestiture on the wings of the adults consists of primarily a brown coloration... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mournful Duskywing sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 50th most-seen of the 329 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Mournful Duskywing in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to February, the lowest months. That is one of Big Bend National Park's wettest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 10 mm in April.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mournful Duskywing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Mournful Duskywing sightings, Big Bend National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 10%) and Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 10%).
Same genus: Erynnis
The closest relatives of the Mournful Duskywing that you can see in Big Bend National Park (genus Erynnis, Duskywings) are Funereal Duskywing (about 10%), Sleepy Duskywing (about 10%) and Meridian Duskywing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mournful Duskywing is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Bend National Park (40 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.
