Tiger Longwing
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at San José

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%

76 Verified sightings at San José
401 In all 19 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Tiger Longwing

Heliconius hecale, the tiger longwing, Hecale longwing, golden longwing or golden heliconian, is a heliconiid butterfly that occurs from Mexico to the Peruvian Amazon. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
2 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
4 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
5 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
6 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
7 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
9 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
10 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
13 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
14 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
15 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
16 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
17 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
18 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
19 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
2 San Salvador 🇸🇻 El Salvador
~10%
3 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tiger Longwing in San José?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tiger Longwing sighting in San José on a given day, based on 76 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 239 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Tiger Longwing in San José?

July–September and November–January

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tiger Longwing in San José on a given day, against about 10% in February–June and October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Tiger Longwing?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tiger Longwing 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 San José the best place to see a Tiger Longwing?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Tiger Longwing sightings, San José has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come San Salvador (El Salvador, about 10%) and Panama City (Panama, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Tiger Longwing live in San José?

Same genus: Heliconius

The closest relatives of the Tiger Longwing that you can see in San José (genus Heliconius, Longwings and Heliconians) are Zebra Longwing (about 30%), Red Postman (about 10%) and Postman (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Tiger Longwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tiger Longwing is recorded against all the insects logged in San José (76 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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