Zerynthia polyxena
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Zerynthia polyxena, the southern festoon, is a butterfly belonging to the butterfly family Papilionidae. The southern festoon can reach a wingspan of 46–52 mm. The females have slightly longer wings, usually lighter colored than males. The basic color of the wings is yellow, with a complicated pattern of several black bands and spots.
On the edges of the hindwings they have a black sinuous line with a series of blue and red warning spots to deter potential predators (aposematism). The body is dark brown and bears red patches on the sides of the abdomen.
This species is rather similar to, and can be confused only with, the Spanish festoon (Z. rumina). The differences are in the presence of blue on the hind wings of Z. polyxena and the relatively lower amount of red on its forewings compared with Z. rumina. The ranges of these two species overlap only in southeast France.
The caterpillars of Z. polyxena are up to 35 millimeters long. They are initially black, then they are yellowish with six rows of fleshy orange and black spikes all over the body. T. polyxena Schiff. & Den. (= hypermnestra Scop.hypsipyle Fabr.). Light yellow, with spots and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 6 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 2 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Istanbul | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 4 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Festoon sighting in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 49th most-seen of the 243 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.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Festoon in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to March, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Festoon sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Southern Festoon sightings, Fertő-Hanság National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 30%), Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 30%) and Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia, about 20%).
Same family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Festoon that you can see in Fertő-Hanság National Park (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Scarce Swallowtail (about 10%) and Old World Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Festoon is recorded against all the insects logged in Fertő-Hanság National Park (20 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.
