Troides minos
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~80%
Troides minos, the southern birdwing, also called Sahyadri birdwing, is a large and striking species of swallowtail butterfly. It is endemic to southern India. With a wingspan of 140–190 mm, it is the second largest butterfly of India. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List.
It was earlier considered a subspecies of the common birdwing (Troides helena) but is now recognised as a valid species. The species is more common in the Western Ghats of southern India, which is a biodiversity hotspot with a high degree of endemism in many taxa. It is much sought after by collectors and is a highlight of many butterfly tours in the Western Ghats. It is the state butterfly of Karnataka, India.
Description from Charles Thomas Bingham (1907) The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma, Butterflies. Volume II. Male and female. Differs from Troides helena cerberus as follows. Male: Hindwing: the black along the dorsal and terminal margins both on upper and undersides much broader; on the upperside entirely filling interspace 1, on the underside with only a narrow streak of yellow at the angle between the median vein and vein 2; the cone-shaped black markings... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ponnani | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Kochi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Kollam | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 India |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Birdwing sighting in Thiruvananthapuram on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 60th most-seen of the 112 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, July and December–January
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Birdwing in Thiruvananthapuram on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May–June and August–November, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Birdwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Southern Birdwing sightings, Thiruvananthapuram ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Ponnani (India, about 20%).
Same family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Birdwing that you can see in Thiruvananthapuram (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Common Mormon Swallowtail (about 40%), Common Jay (about 30%) and Common Rose Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Birdwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Thiruvananthapuram (9 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.
