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Plain Tiger Butterfly
Danaus chrysippus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumArthropoda (Arthropods)
- ClassInsecta (Insects)
- OrderLepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- FamilyNymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
- GenusDanaus (Tiger Milkweed Butterflies)
- SpeciesDanaus chrysippus (Plain Tiger Butterfly)
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
125 Verified sightings at Hong Kong
1,222 In all 48 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Plain Tiger Butterfly
Danaus chrysippus, also known as the plain tiger, African queen, or African monarch, is a medium-sized butterfly widespread in Asia, Australia and Africa. It belongs to the Danainae subfamily of the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. Danainae primarily consume plants in the genus Asclepias, more commonly called milkweed. Milkweed contains toxic compounds, cardenolides, which are often consumed and stored by many butterflies. Because of their emetic properties, the plain tiger is unpalatable to most predators. As a result, its colouration is widely mimicked by other species of butterflies. The plain tiger inhabits a wide variety of habitats, although it is less likely to thrive in jungle-like conditions and is most often found in drier, wide-open areas.
These subspecies are found concentrated in specific regions within the larger range of the entire species. The plain tiger is believed to be one of the first butterflies depicted in art. A 3,500-year-old ancient Egyptian fresco in Luxor features the oldest known illustration of this species.
D. chrysippus is... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Plain Tiger Butterfly in Hong Kong
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salem | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Karachi | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | |
| 3 | Alexandria | 🇪🇬 Egypt | |
| 4 | Prayagraj | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Hajipur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Rajkot | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Raipur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Jeddah | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | |
| 9 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Jamshedpur | 🇮🇳 India |
Closest Relatives at Hong Kong
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Plain Tiger Butterfly in Hong Kong?
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Plain Tiger Butterfly sighting in Hong Kong on a given day, based on 125 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 98th 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.
When is the best time to see a Plain Tiger Butterfly in Hong Kong?
June and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Plain Tiger Butterfly in Hong Kong on a given day, against under 5% in January and February, the lowest months. Those are among Hong Kong's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in December.
What time of day is best to see a Plain Tiger Butterfly?
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Plain Tiger Butterfly 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 Hong Kong the best place to see a Plain Tiger Butterfly?
98th of 109
Of the 109 cities where we can rate Plain Tiger Butterfly sightings, Hong Kong ranks 98th at about 10%. The best odds are in Salem (India, about 70%), Karachi (Pakistan, about 70%) and Alexandria (Egypt, about 70%).
Where does the Plain Tiger Butterfly sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Plain Tiger Butterfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Hong Kong (125 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.
