Anartia jatrophae
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Anartia jatrophae, the white peacock, is a species of butterfly found in the southeastern United States, Central America, and throughout much of South America. The white peacock's larval hosts are water hyssop (Bacopa monnieri), lemon bacopa (Bacopa caroliniensis), tropical waterhyssop (Bacopa innominata), frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora), lanceleaf frogfruit (Phyla lanceolata), and Carolina wild petunia (Ruellia caroliniana).
The males of the species display a unique territorial behavior, in which they stake out a territory typically 15 meters in diameter that contains larval host plants. They perch in this area and aggressively protect it from other insects and other male white peacocks. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 6 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 8 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 10 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a White Peacock sighting in São Luís on a given day, based on 101 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 93 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a White Peacock in São Luís on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month. Those are among São Luís's wettest months, with about 300 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in October.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White Peacock 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 41 cities where we can rate White Peacock sightings, São Luís ranks 2nd at about 50%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, about 50%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the White Peacock that you can see in São Luís (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Mexican Fritillary (about 50%), Coconut Caterpillar (about 30%) and Southern Monarch (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White Peacock is recorded against all the insects logged in São Luís (101 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.
