Catopsilia florella
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Catopsilia florella, the African migrant, African emigrant, or common vagrant, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found in Africa (including Madagascar), Arabia (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman) and the Canary Islands. Like Catopsilia pomona, this species also has a habit of migration. Many early authors mentioned the presence of this species in Asia; but those were probably due to confusion arises as Catopsilia pyranthe females exhibit a lot of seasonal variations. Catopsilia florella is not included as a species in India in any recent checklists.
The wingspan is 54–60 mm for males and 56–66 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round. From South Africa, adults migrate from summer to autumn. They fly in a north-eastern direction. The larvae feed on Senna occidentalis, Senna septentrionalis, Senna petersiana, Senna italica, Cassia javanica, and Cassia fistula. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 8 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 10 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 2 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 3 | Ouagadougou | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | |
| 4 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 5 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Cairo | 🇪🇬 Egypt | |
| 7 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 8 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Migrant sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 21 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.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an African Migrant in Etosha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April, June and August–November, the lowest months. That is one of Etosha National Park's wettest months, with about 50 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Migrant sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate African Migrant sightings, Etosha National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 30%), Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 30%) and Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique, about 20%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the African Migrant that you can see in Etosha National Park (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Veined Tip (about 20%), Pioneer White (about 20%) and Broad-Bordered Grass Yellow (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Migrant is recorded against all the insects logged in Etosha National Park (9 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.
