Hypolycaena philippus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Hypolycaena philippus, the purple-brown hairstreak or common hairstreak, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa where it is commonly found in wooded locations. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hairstreak sighting in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 44 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.
May
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hairstreak in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, June and August–December, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Hairstreak sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Common Hairstreak sightings, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 20%) and uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Common Hairstreak that you can see in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Leaden Hairtail (about 10%), Castalius melaena (about 10%) and Axiocerses perion (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Hairstreak is recorded against all the insects logged in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (14 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.
