Mestra amymone
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Mestra is a genus of nymphalid butterfly. It contains the single species Mestra dorcas, the Jamaican mestra, which is found from southern North America to South America and possibly Mestra cana, the St Lucia mestra, found in the Lesser Antilles (though this may be a misidentification).
The wingspan is 35–50 mm. Adults are on wing year round in southern Texas, but it is most numerous from June to November. They have been recorded feeding on the nectar of Lantana flowers. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Mestra sighting in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 75 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–July, October and December–January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Mestra in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in February–May, August–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Mestra sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Common Mestra sightings, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí (Guatemala, about 20%), Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 20%) and Big Bend National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Common Mestra that you can see in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Many-Banded Daggerwing (about 30%), Common Morpho (about 20%) and Banded Peacock (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Mestra is recorded against all the insects logged in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (12 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.
