Tirumala hamata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Tirumala hamata, the dark tiger, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is distributed from the Philippines to Australia and Pacific oceanic islands such as Samoa. In Australia, the butterflies perform mass migrations to the south in some years. In April 1995, the butterfly made a rare migratory journey to New Zealand, coinciding with the appearance of Hypolimnas bolina on the islands.
The wingspan is about 70 mm. Adults have black wings with blue spots. They are grey with black bands between segments and orange lateral lines and a black head with white markings. Adults have been observed scratching the leaves of Heliotropium amplexicaule and Parsonsia straminea, possibly to suck out moisture, or to obtain pyrrolizidine alkaloids for pheromone production and/or chemical defense.
The larvae feed on a wide range of plants including Parsonsia (including Parsonsia straminea and Parsonsia velutina), Heterostemma papuana, Heterostemma acuminatum, Hoya australis, Leichhardtia, Marsdenia (including Marsdenia velutina), Secanome carnosum, Secamone elliptica, Vincetoxicum (syn. Tylophora), Cryptostegia grandiflora, Cynanchum carnosum, and Cynanchum leptolepis. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Wanderer sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 431st most-seen of the 742 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.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Wanderer in Sydney on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue Wanderer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Blue Wanderer sightings, Sydney ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Brisbane (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Blue Wanderer that you can see in Sydney (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Australian Common Crow (about 20%), Meadow Argus (about 10%) and Australian Painted Lady (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Wanderer is recorded against all the insects logged in Sydney (12 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.
