Papilio helenus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Papilio helenus, the red Helen, is a large swallowtail butterfly found in forests of southern India and parts of southeast Asia. Papilio helenus is rarely found in Sri Lanka, southern and north-east India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, Vietnam, southern China (including Hainan, Guangdong province), Taiwan, southern Japan, South Korea, Ryukyu Islands, peninsular and eastern Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, and Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Bangka, Kalimantan, the Lesser Sunda Islands except Tanimbar).
In India it occurs along the Western Ghats from Kerala to Gujarat, also Palnis and Shevaroys, in the north from Mussoorie eastwards, to north-east India and onto Myanmar. Male. Upper-side rich brownish-black; cilia alternated with white. Fore-wing with slender longitudinal streaks of golden-yellow scales within the cell, and hairy-scaled broad streaks between the outer veins; lower base of the wing also sparsely speckled with golden-yellow scales. Hind-wing with a cream- white upper discal patch composed of three portions, a short almost quadrate portion in the costal interspace, and two lower large elongate portions in the subcostal... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 8 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Helen Swallowtail sighting in Zhuhai [Macau] on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 31st most-seen of the 152 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red Helen Swallowtail in Zhuhai [Macau] on a given day, against under 5% in August–September and December–February, the lowest months. That is one of Zhuhai [Macau]'s wettest months, with about 200 mm of rain against 20 mm in December.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Helen Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Red Helen Swallowtail sightings, Zhuhai [Macau] ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Tuen Mun (China, about 20%) and Hong Kong (China, about 20%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Red Helen Swallowtail that you can see in Zhuhai [Macau] (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Common Mormon Swallowtail (about 30%), Great Mormon Swallowtail (about 10%) and Paris Peacock Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Helen Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Zhuhai [Macau] (21 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.
