Burnsius communis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Burnsius communis, the common checkered-skipper, formerly known as Pyrgus communis, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is known as the frequently seen Pyrginae species in the northern United States by collectors and watchers alike. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Checkered-Skipper sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 1,290 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 14th most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Checkered-Skipper in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months. Those are among San Francisco's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in December.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Checkered-Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 16
Of the 16 cities where we can rate Common Checkered-Skipper sightings, San Francisco ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Detroit (United States, about 20%) and Denver (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Common Checkered-Skipper that you can see in San Francisco (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Umber Skipper (about 20%), Fiery Skipper (about 20%) and Sandhill Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Checkered-Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (1,290 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.
