Coeliades forestan
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Coeliades forestan, the striped policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Transkei to Zimbabwe and to Botswana, and also in Western Africa, notably in Burkina Faso. It is also present on Madagascar and Mauritius.
The wingspan is 45–55 mm for males and 55–64 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in warmer areas with peaks September to April. The larvae feed on a wide range of plants, including Parinari curatellifolia, Lonchocarpus capassa, Combretum bracteosum, Combretum apiculatum, Solanum auriculatum, Solanum mauritianum, Millettia sutherlandii, Sphedamnocarpus rhamni, Sphedamnocarpus pruriens and Robinia pseudacacia. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Striped Policeman sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 143rd 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February to July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Striped Policeman in Durban on a given day, against under 5% in August to January, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Striped Policeman sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Striped Policeman sightings, Durban ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kampala (Uganda, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Striped Policeman is recorded against all the insects logged in Durban (15 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.
