Plain Tiger Butterfly
Plain Tiger ButterflyPlain Tiger ButterflyPlain Tiger ButterflyPlain Tiger Butterfly

Plain Tiger Butterfly

Danaus chrysippus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Jeddah

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

6 Verified sightings at Jeddah
1,222 In all 48 parks From 2019 to 2026
December 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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Berenty Reserve 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~50%
2 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~40%
3 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
4 Flinders Ranges National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
5 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~40%
6 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~40%
7 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
8 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
9 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
10 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
11 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
12 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
13 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
14 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
15 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
16 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~30%
17 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
18 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~30%
19 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~30%
20 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
21 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
22 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
23 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
24 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
25 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
26 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
27 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
28 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
29 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
30 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
31 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
32 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
33 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
34 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
35 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
36 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
37 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
38 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
39 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
40 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
41 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
42 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
43 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
44 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
45 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
46 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
47 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
48 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Salem 🇮🇳 India
~70%
2 Karachi 🇵🇰 Pakistan
~70%
3 Alexandria 🇪🇬 Egypt
~70%
4 Prayagraj 🇮🇳 India
~60%
5 Hajipur 🇮🇳 India
~60%
6 Rajkot 🇮🇳 India
~60%
7 Raipur 🇮🇳 India
~50%
8 Jeddah 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
~50%
9 Coimbatore 🇮🇳 India
~50%
10 Jamshedpur 🇮🇳 India
~50%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Plain Tiger Butterfly in Jeddah?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Plain Tiger Butterfly sighting in Jeddah on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Plain Tiger Butterfly in Jeddah?

December

In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Plain Tiger Butterfly in Jeddah on a given day, against about 20% in February to July, the lowest months. August and October have too few records to rate.

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 Jeddah the best place to see a Plain Tiger Butterfly?

8th of 109

Of the 109 cities where we can rate Plain Tiger Butterfly sightings, Jeddah ranks 8th at about 50%. 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 Jeddah (6 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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