Neptis sappho
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Neptis sappho, the Pallas' sailer or common glider, is a nymphalid butterfly found in Central Europe, Russia, India and other parts of temperate Asia and Japan. The wingspan is 40–46 mm.The upper side of the forewings is black or black-brown in ground colour with a band of white spots. Two white, wedge-shaped spots are also found between the band and the wing base. The underside is rusty brown and otherwise shows the same white markings as the upper side. The upper side of the hind wings is also black or black-brown in colour with a broad inner and a narrow outer band, each white with a white band, which are only broken by the dark veins. In contrast to the very similar Neptis rivularis, the white markings are more extensive and have two rows on the hind wings. The rusty brown underside is slightly lighter than in N. rivularis.
The larvae feed on Lathyrus vernus, Lathyrus niger and Robinia pseudoacacia. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pallas' Sailer sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 90th most-seen of the 401 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pallas' Sailer in Beijing on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months. That is one of Beijing's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against almost none in January.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pallas' Sailer sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Pallas' Sailer sightings, Beijing ranks 9th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Suzhou (China, about 10%), Tokyo (Japan, about 10%) and Sendai (Japan, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Pallas' Sailer that you can see in Beijing (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Asian Comma (about 20%), Lesser Purple Emperor (about 10%) and Indian Red Admiral (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pallas' Sailer is recorded against all the insects logged in Beijing (40 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.
