Scarce Swallowtail

Scarce Swallowtail

Iphiclides podalirius

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Kharkiv

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

35 Verified sightings at Kharkiv
458 In all 9 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Scarce Swallowtail

The scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. It is also called the sail swallowtail or pear-tree swallowtail. Else see: Iphiclides podalirius feisthamelii (North Africa, Spain and southwest France), often treated as a valid species, Iphiclides feisthamelii. Despite the name "scarce swallowtail", this species is quite common. The scarcity of United Kingdom migrants is responsible for the English vernacular name. This species is widespread in the East Palearctic realm and in most of Europe with the exception of the northern parts. Its range extends northwards to Lower Lusatia and central Poland and eastwards across Asia Minor and Transcaucasia as far as the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, India and western China. A few specimens of the scarce swallowtail have been reported from central Sweden and... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~40%
2 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~30%
3 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
4 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~20%
5 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
7 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
8 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
9 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yerevan 🇦🇲 Armenia
~40%
2 Athens 🇬🇷 Greece
~30%
3 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
4 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~20%
5 Izmir 🇹🇷 Turkey
~20%
6 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~20%
7 Bucharest 🇷🇴 Romania
~20%
8 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~20%
9 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
10 Rome 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Scarce Swallowtail in Kharkiv?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Scarce Swallowtail sighting in Kharkiv on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 28th most-seen of the 289 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Scarce Swallowtail in Kharkiv?

July

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Scarce Swallowtail in Kharkiv on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Scarce Swallowtail?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

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

4th of 22

Of the 22 cities where we can rate Scarce Swallowtail sightings, Kharkiv ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Yerevan (Armenia, about 40%), Athens (Greece, about 30%) and Budapest (Hungary, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Scarce Swallowtail live in Kharkiv?

Same order: Lepidoptera

The closest relatives of the Scarce Swallowtail that you can see in Kharkiv (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Blood Vein (about 40%), Four-Spotted Footman (about 30%) and Common Blue (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Scarce Swallowtail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Scarce Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Kharkiv (35 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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