Elf Butterfly

Elf Butterfly

Microtia elva

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Monterrey

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%

26 Verified sightings at Monterrey
153 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Elf Butterfly

Microtia is a monotypic genus of butterflies from southern United States and Central America in the family Nymphalidae. It contains the single species Microtia elva, the elf. Larvae of this species feed on Tetramerium and other species in the family Acanthaceae. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
2 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~20%
5 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
6 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Managua 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~20%
2 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
~10%
3 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Elf Butterfly in Monterrey?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Elf Butterfly sighting in Monterrey on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 134th most-seen of the 413 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Elf Butterfly in Monterrey?

July to November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Elf Butterfly in Monterrey on a given day, against under 5% in December to June, the lowest months. Those are among Monterrey's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see an Elf Butterfly?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Elf 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 Monterrey the best place to see an Elf Butterfly?

2nd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Elf Butterfly sightings, Monterrey ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Managua (Nicaragua, about 20%).

Where does the Elf Butterfly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Elf Butterfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Monterrey (26 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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