Papilio garamas
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Papilio garamas, commonly known as the mexico phoenix or magnificent swallowtail, is a species of Neotropical swallowtail butterfly found in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica. A large butterfly with a wingspan of 80 to 110 millimetres. The females are dimorphic, either resembling the male or dark forms lacking the cream median and postdiscal bands, contrasting with deep black ground colour.
Papilio garamas is a member of the homerus species group. The members of this clade are: Papilio cacicus Lucas, 1852 Papilio euterpinus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Swallowtail sighting in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, based on 45 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 60th most-seen of the 431 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Swallowtail in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–August and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Magnificent Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Magnificent Swallowtail sightings, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (Mexico, about 20%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Magnificent Swallowtail that you can see in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Western Giant Swallowtail (about 20%), Palamedes Swallowtail (about 20%) and Three-Tailed Tiger Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Magnificent Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (45 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.
