Borbo cinnara
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Formosan Swift sighting in Hong Kong on a given day, based on 148 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 77th most-seen of the 1125 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Formosan Swift in Hong Kong on a given day, against under 5% in January and March, the lowest months. That is one of Hong Kong's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 280 mm in June.
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.
5th of 19
Of the 19 cities where we can rate Formosan Swift sightings, Hong Kong ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Tuen Mun (China, about 20%), Jabalpur (India, about 20%) and Salem (India, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Formosan Swift that you can see in Hong Kong (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Indian Palm Bob (about 10%), Pale Awlet (about 10%) and Tree Flitter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Formosan Swift is recorded against all the insects logged in Hong Kong (148 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.
