Chinese Peacock Swallowtail

Chinese Peacock Swallowtail

Papilio bianor

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Changzhou

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

8 Verified sightings at Changzhou
20 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Chinese Peacock Swallowtail

Papilio bianor, also known as the common peacock, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae, the swallowtails. It is native to Continental Asia. It is the state butterfly of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. This species is variable in size. Individuals emerged in the spring reach 4 to 8 centimeters wide, while those emerged in the summer can reach 12 centimeters. The forewings are black with dark veining and green scales. The undersides are brown, turning white distally with dark veining. The hindwings are tailed and have ridged edges containing reddish eyespots. The body is black with green scales.

The male has black hair on the forewings, which the female lacks.. P. bianor. Geographically as well as seasonally very variable. male: the pilose stripes broad, the posterior three usually united, when they are separated the stripe of the lower median remains broader than the interspace, which separates it from the stripe of the submedian fold; upper surface of the forewing dusted with green or greenblue, this scaling commonly condensed into a band before the narrowly dark distal margin; upper surface of the hindwing anteriorly blue... 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 Changzhou 🇨🇳 China
~30%
2 Guiyang 🇨🇳 China
~30%
3 Chongqing 🇨🇳 China
~30%
4 Wuhan 🇨🇳 China
~20%
5 Hefei 🇨🇳 China
~20%
6 Nanjing 🇨🇳 China
~20%
7 Changsha 🇨🇳 China
~20%
8 Suzhou 🇨🇳 China
~10%
9 Chengdu 🇨🇳 China
~10%
10 Kunming 🇨🇳 China
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Chinese Peacock Swallowtail in Changzhou?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Peacock Swallowtail sighting in Changzhou on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 12 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Chinese Peacock Swallowtail in Changzhou?

September

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Chinese Peacock Swallowtail in Changzhou on a given day, against under 5% in May and June, the lowest months. November and December have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Chinese Peacock Swallowtail?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chinese Peacock Swallowtail 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 Changzhou the best place to see a Chinese Peacock Swallowtail?

Yes

Of the 16 cities where we can rate Chinese Peacock Swallowtail sightings, Changzhou has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Guiyang (China, about 30%) and Chongqing (China, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Chinese Peacock Swallowtail live in Changzhou?

Same genus: Papilio

The closest relatives of the Chinese Peacock Swallowtail that you can see in Changzhou (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Common Mormon Swallowtail (about 40%) and Chinese Yellow Swallowtail (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Chinese Peacock Swallowtail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Chinese Peacock Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Changzhou (8 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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