Formosan Swift

Formosan Swift

Borbo cinnara

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Bengaluru

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

29 Verified sightings at Bengaluru
10 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Formosan Swift

Borbo cinnara, commonly known as the rice swift, Formosan swift or rice leaf folder, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Australia.

Above thorax and bases with inconspicuous greenish clothing. Usually upperside forewing with a conspicuous non-hyaline spot in space 1b, discal series in spaces 2, 3, 4 and apical dots in spaces 6, 7, 8, as well as an upper cell spot. Upperside hindwing with I or 2 dots. Underside hindwing with olive-ochreous scaling and spots in spaces 2, 3, 6. F 15-16 mm.

Larvae are known to feed on Setaria barbata, Axonopus compressus, Rottboellia cochinchinensis and Brachiaria mutica. Australian butterflies Media related to Borbo cinnara at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tuen Mun 🇨🇳 China
~20%
2 Jabalpur 🇮🇳 India
~20%
3 Salem 🇮🇳 India
~10%
4 Prayagraj 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
~10%
6 Taichung 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%
7 Kolkata 🇮🇳 India
~10%
8 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
~10%
9 Kaohsiung 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%
10 Taipei 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Formosan Swift in Bengaluru?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Formosan Swift sighting in Bengaluru on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 159th most-seen of the 477 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.

When is the best time to see a Formosan Swift in Bengaluru?

December

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Formosan Swift in Bengaluru on a given day, against under 5% in April–June and November, the lowest months. That is one of Bengaluru's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 150 mm in September.

What time of day is best to see a Formosan Swift?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Formosan Swift 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 Bengaluru the best place to see a Formosan Swift?

12th of 19

Of the 19 cities where we can rate Formosan Swift sightings, Bengaluru ranks 12th at about 10%. The best odds are in Tuen Mun (China, about 20%), Jabalpur (India, about 20%) and Salem (India, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Formosan Swift live in Bengaluru?

Same family: Hesperiidae

The closest relatives of the Formosan Swift that you can see in Bengaluru (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Grass Demon (about 20%), Common Banded Awl (about 20%) and Giant Redeye (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Formosan Swift sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Formosan Swift is recorded against all the insects logged in Bengaluru (29 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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