Papilio aegeus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Papilio aegeus, the orchard swallowtail butterfly or large citrus butterfly is a species of butterfly from the family Papilionidae, that is found in eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea. The larvae of this species are sometimes considered a pest, due to their feeding on citrus leaves in suburban gardens.
Both male and female have black forewings with a white stripe, though there is more white overall on the female forewing. The hindwing is again black, and there is a white swath through the middle. Here the markings differ in that the female has chains of red to orange and blue crescents toward the edge. The markings on the underside are similar to those on top. The body is black. The wingspan is about 140 millimetres (5.5 in) in females and 120 millimetres (4.7 in) in males, making it rather large overall and the largest butterfly commonly seen in at least part of its range.
Despite being a swallowtail, which group derives its name from the distinctive tails on the hindwing, this characteristic is entirely absent. Karl Jordan in Seitz. describes the forma (pages 65–67) Papilio aegeus can be found in every state in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Orchard Swallowtail sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 108 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 789 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January to March
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Orchard Swallowtail in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and August, the lowest months. Those are among Blue Mountains National Park's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in May.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orchard 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.
4th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Orchard Swallowtail sightings, Blue Mountains National Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Lamington National Park (Australia, about 30%), Springbrook National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Raja Ampat (Indonesia, about 20%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Orchard Swallowtail that you can see in Blue Mountains National Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Dainty Swallowtail (about 10%) and Lime Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orchard Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Blue Mountains National Park (108 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.
