Borbo borbonica
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Borbo borbonica, the borbo skipper, Zeller's skipper or olive haired swift, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found along the southern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea including SW Spain, but mainly in Syria, Arabia, Africa, Mauritius and Réunion.
The length of the forewings is 14–15 mm.The diskal spots on the upper surface of the dull brown forewings are translucent. The spot in Cu2-A is yellowish. The underside of the forewings is brown. The hind wing underside is yellowish brown. The palpi are leather-colored. Females are similar but slightly paler. There are three small, pale but distinct postdiscal spots on their hind wing underside.[The hindwing beneath with a postmedian row of 4—5 small white spots which are placed in a diffuse blackish area ( P. zelleri Led.)] Adults are on wing from September to October.
In North Africa Leersia oryzoides and Sorghum halepense have been recorded as food plants for the larvae. In Mauritius, they feed on various grasses, such as Panicum. In South-Africa, larvae have been recorded on Ehrharta erecta, Oryza, Pennisetum and Zea mays.The habitat is dry-hot, rocky coastal canyons and sand dunes with sparse vegetation Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Tel Aviv | 🇮🇱 Israel |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Olive-Haired Swift sighting in Tel Aviv on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 148th most-seen of the 264 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.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Olive-Haired Swift in Tel Aviv on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, June–July and September, the lowest months. That is one of Tel Aviv's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 90 mm in January.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Olive-Haired Swift sightings, Tel Aviv ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Antananarivo (Madagascar, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Olive-Haired Swift that you can see in Tel Aviv (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Pale Small-Branded Swift (about 20%), Mallow Skipper (about 10%) and Pygmy Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Olive-Haired Swift is recorded against all the insects logged in Tel Aviv (16 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.
