Leafy Sphinx

Leafy Sphinx

Xylophanes chiron

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

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

8 Verified sightings at Iguazú National Park From 2019 to 2026
132 In all 14 parks
September Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Leafy Sphinx

Xylophanes chiron is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was first described by Dru Drury in 1771. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
2 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
3 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~10%
4 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
5 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
6 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
7 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
10 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
11 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
12 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
13 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
14 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Manaus 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
2 Porto Alegre 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
5 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
6 Bogota 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
7 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
8 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Leafy Sphinx in Iguazú National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Leafy Sphinx sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 204th most-seen of the 306 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Leafy Sphinx in Iguazú National Park?

January and September

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Leafy Sphinx in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April–August and November–December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Leafy Sphinx?

Between 7 and 10 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Leafy Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Which relatives of the Leafy Sphinx live in Iguazú National Park?

Same family: Sphingidae

The closest relatives of the Leafy Sphinx that you can see in Iguazú National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Lesser Ficus Sphinx (about 20%), Ello Sphinx (about 10%) and Adhemarius daphne (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Leafy Sphinx sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Leafy Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Iguazú National Park (8 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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