Idea leuconoe
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Idea leuconoe, also known as the paper kite butterfly, rice paper butterfly, large tree nymph, white tree nymph, is a butterfly known especially for its presence in butterfly houses and live butterfly expositions. It has a wingspan of 12 to 14 cm. The paper kite is of Southeast Asian origin, but has also been found in Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands.
Larvae feed on Parsonsia species, Tylophora hispida, Parsonsia helicandra, Parsonsia spiralis, and Cynanchum formosanum so both the butterfly and larvae are poisonous. The paper kite butterfly's forewings and hindwings are translucent silvery white with black spots, similar to the Idea lynceus. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rice Paper Butterfly sighting in Taipei on a given day, based on 57 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 213th most-seen of the 765 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–October and December–April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rice Paper Butterfly in Taipei on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rice Paper Butterfly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Rice Paper Butterfly sightings, Taipei ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Naha (Japan, about 30%), Davao City (Philippines, about 20%) and Manila (Philippines, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Rice Paper Butterfly that you can see in Taipei (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Common Mapwing (about 20%), Common Palmfly (about 20%) and Great Eggfly (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rice Paper Butterfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Taipei (57 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.
