Isabella's Longwing

Isabella's Longwing

Eueides isabella

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Iguaçu National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

18 Verified sightings at Iguaçu National Park From 2019 to 2026
39 In all 3 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Isabella's Longwing

Eueides isabella, the Isabella's longwing or Isabella's heliconian, is a species of nymphalid butterfly, belonging to the Heliconiinae subfamily. Eueides isabella is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 65–90 millimetres (2.6–3.5 in). The uppersides of the wings is dark brown, with orange bands and yellowish markings on the edges of the forewings. The undersides of the wings are quite similar to the uppersides, but the edges of the hindwings show a series of small blue spots.

The flight period extends to the whole year in the tropical habitat. They are active even in low light. Caterpillars are white and black covered by long black spines. They are gregarious and they primarily feed on Passiflora platyloba and Passiflora ambigua.

This species can be found from Mexico to the Amazon basin and the West Indies. Eueides isabella lives in the rainforest where it remains in the canopy. It can be found from sea level to about 1500 m above sea level. E. i. isabella (French Guiana, Suriname, Trinidad) Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
3 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Porto Alegre 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
4 São Luís 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
5 Campinas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
6 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
7 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Isabella's Longwing in Iguaçu National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Isabella's Longwing sighting in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 95th most-seen of the 279 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.

When is the best time to see an Isabella's Longwing in Iguaçu National Park?

August

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Isabella's Longwing in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and November–March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Isabella's Longwing?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Isabella's Longwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Iguaçu National Park the best place to see an Isabella's Longwing?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Isabella's Longwing sightings, Iguaçu National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 10%) and Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Isabella's Longwing live in Iguaçu National Park?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Isabella's Longwing that you can see in Iguaçu National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Agathina Emperor (about 70%), Hydaspes Eighty-Eight (about 50%) and Orange Mapwing (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Isabella's Longwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Isabella's Longwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Iguaçu National Park (18 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.

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