Mournful Duskywing

Mournful Duskywing

Erynnis tristis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Diego

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

23 Verified sightings at San Diego
84 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Mournful Duskywing

Erynnis tristis, commonly known as the mournful duskywing, is a species of spread-wing skipper in the butterfly family Hesperiidae that is commonly found in North America in oak woodlands. It is mottled brown with a white fringe on the hind wings. It is commonly mistaken for Erynnis funeralis due to both species having a white fringe on the hindwing. Erynnis tristis relies heavily on a variety of oak species as a hostplant, where the larvae feed on oak while the adults nectar from a variety of wild and garden flowers. This butterfly mates through hill-topping, where males perch on various objects to attract females.

The spherical eggs are laid on the terminal end of a hostplant. While initially yellow, the eggs will turn deep orange with maturation. Rather than being laid in clusters or groups, females will lay their eggs singly in separate locations. Once the egg progresses to the larval stage, the larvae are gray-green, covered with white spots throughout its body, and has lateral yellow stripes. The head has a brown coloration. The pupa are gray-green and are hairy.

The majority of the vestiture on the wings of the adults consists of primarily a brown coloration... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
4 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
~10%
4 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Mournful Duskywing in San Diego?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mournful Duskywing sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 277th most-seen of the 693 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Mournful Duskywing in San Diego?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mournful Duskywing in San Diego on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Mournful Duskywing?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mournful Duskywing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is San Diego the best place to see a Mournful Duskywing?

5th of 7

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Mournful Duskywing sightings, San Diego ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 20%), Los Angeles (United States, about 10%) and Monterrey (México, about 10%).

Where does the Mournful Duskywing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Mournful Duskywing is recorded against all the insects logged in San Diego (23 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.

← Back to San Diego