Pioneer White

Pioneer White

Belenois aurota

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Agra

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~80%

5 Verified sightings at Agra
462 In all 24 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Pioneer White

Belenois aurota, the pioneer or pioneer white or caper white, is a small to medium-sized butterfly of the family Pieridae—that is, the yellows and whites—which is found in South Asia, West Asia and Africa. In Africa, it is also known as the brown-veined white, and is well known during summer and autumn when large numbers migrate north-east over the interior.

The upperside of males is white with the forewing having the costa from base to base of vein 11 dusky black and then jet black continuing into a widened and curving short streak along the discocellulars to the lower apex of the cell; apical area diagonally with the termen black, the former with six elongate outwardly pointed spots of the ground colour enclosed one in each of the interspaces 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9. Hindwing: uniform, the black along the venation on the underside seen through by transparency; termen between veins 2 and 6 somewhat broadly black, with a series of four round spots of the ground colour in the interspaces; below vein 2 and above vein 6 the termen is very narrowly black. Underside: forewing white, markings similar, more clearly defined, the white spots within the black... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~50%
2 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
3 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
4 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
5 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
6 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~20%
7 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
8 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
9 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
10 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
11 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
12 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
13 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
14 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
15 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
16 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
17 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
18 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
19 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
20 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
21 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
22 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
23 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
24 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jodhpur 🇮🇳 India
~40%
2 Serrekunda 🇬🇲 Gambia
~30%
3 New Delhi 🇮🇳 India
~30%
4 Hyderabad 🇮🇳 India
~30%
5 Kanpur 🇮🇳 India
~30%
6 Agra 🇮🇳 India
~20%
7 Salem 🇮🇳 India
~20%
8 Jabalpur 🇮🇳 India
~20%
9 Pune 🇮🇳 India
~20%
10 Coimbatore 🇮🇳 India
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pioneer White in Agra?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pioneer White sighting in Agra on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 7 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Pioneer White in Agra?

April

In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Pioneer White in Agra on a given day, against under 5% in July–August, October and December–March, the lowest months. That is one of Agra's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 190 mm in July.

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

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pioneer 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 Agra the best place to see a Pioneer White?

6th of 31

Of the 31 cities where we can rate Pioneer White sightings, Agra ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Jodhpur (India, about 40%), Serrekunda (Gambia, about 30%) and New Delhi (India, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Pioneer White live in Agra?

Same family: Pieridae

The closest relatives of the Pioneer White that you can see in Agra (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Yellow Orange Tip (about 20%) and Common Gull (butterfly) (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Pioneer White sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pioneer White is recorded against all the insects logged in Agra (5 verified sightings), 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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