Polistes erythrocephalus
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Polistes erythrocephalus is a species of paper wasp in the subfamily Polistinae of family Vespidae found in Central and South America. P. erythrocephalus is a eusocial wasp, meaning that it possesses both reproductive and non-reproductive castes. The cooperation between the two castes to raise young demonstrates the altruistic nature of these wasps. P. erythrocephalus exhibits a four-stage colony cycle, as do many other Polistes wasps. This species generally feeds on larvae, occasionally their own, and is preyed upon by species such as army ants.
Polistes scholars such as K. Yoshikawa, Joseph Charles Bequaert, and Mary Jane West-Eberhard, originally considered Polistes erythrocephalus to be a subspecies of Polistes canadensis. For this reason, much of the research done on P. erythrocephalus has been classified under P. canadensis. Additionally, it was left out of Yoshikawa's list of Polistes species around the world in 1963. More recently however P. erythrocephalus has been recognized as a separate species by Owain Richards though it is sometimes still referred to as Polistes canadensis erythrocephalus. Its closest relatives are Polistes canadensis, Polistes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Headed Paper Wasp sighting in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 25 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.
January–February, April, July and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Headed Paper Wasp in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in March, May–June, August–October and December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Headed Paper Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Red-Headed Paper Wasp sightings, Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Ostional Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 30%), Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 20%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Red-Headed Paper Wasp that you can see in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Northern Warrior Wasp (about 20%) and Shimmering Golden Sugar Ant (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-Headed Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve (6 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.
