Appias lyncida
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Appias lyncida, the chocolate albatross, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, that is, the yellows and whites, which is found in south and southeast Asia. The chocolate albatross is found in India, China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Indochina, Taiwan, Hainan and possibly South China.
In India, the butterfly ranges across south India, Nicobar Islands, Sikkim to Assam, and onto Myanmar. In South India, the chocolate albatross is to be found along the foot of the Western Ghats. It is found throughout the year in the Nilgiris where it is locally common. In the northern parts of peninsular India it extends into Orissa and north up to Lucknow.
In India, the northern race of the butterfly is common, while it is local and scarce in other parts of its range. The chocolate albatross has a wingspan of 55 to 70 mm. The male is white above with chocolate-brown or black margins, and, bright lemon yellow below with chocolate-coloured markings. The female is white and densely clouded with dark brown.
The butterfly shows seasonal dimorphism and is very variable. The detailed descriptions are as follows: Wet-season... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 3 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 7 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 8 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Kochi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Kaohsiung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 5 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 6 | Mumbai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chocolate Albatross sighting in Kochi on a given day, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 145th most-seen of the 428 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February to October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chocolate Albatross in Kochi on a given day, against under 5% in November to January, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chocolate Albatross 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 7 cities where we can rate Chocolate Albatross sightings, Kochi ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 10%) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia, about 10%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Chocolate Albatross that you can see in Kochi (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Psyche (about 30%), Lemon Migrant (about 20%) and Common Grass Yellow (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chocolate Albatross is recorded against all the insects logged in Kochi (44 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.
