Mestra amymone
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Mestra is a genus of nymphalid butterfly. It contains the single species Mestra dorcas, the Jamaican mestra, which is found from southern North America to South America and possibly Mestra cana, the St Lucia mestra, found in the Lesser Antilles (though this may be a misidentification).
The wingspan is 35–50 mm. Adults are on wing year round in southern Texas, but it is most numerous from June to November. They have been recorded feeding on the nectar of Lantana flowers. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Mestra sighting in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, based on 170 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 431 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Common Mestra in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and May, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Mestra 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 4 parks where we can rate Common Mestra sightings, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí (Guatemala, about 20%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Common Mestra that you can see in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Zebra Longwing (about 30%), Monarch (about 30%) and Queen (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Mestra is recorded against all the insects logged in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (170 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
