Papilio thoas
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Papilio thoas, the king swallowtail or Thoas swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in the southernmost United States, Mexico, Central America and South America (as far south as Argentina and Uruguay). The species is easily confused with the giant swallowtail, which it closely resembles in both larval and adult stages. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of citrus plants (Rutaceae). They have also been reported as feeding on a member of the genus Piper.
A large species (12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in) wingspan. The wings are narrow. The forewings are mostly brown. A yellow band runs from the tip, becoming narrower towards the back. There is also a row of yellow arcuate spots on the underside of the wing edge. The hind wings are predominantly brown, toothed and have a long caudal process. This carries a yellow core. There is a row of yellow arcuate spots at the edge of the hind wings. A broad yellow band runs through the first half of the wing. Inside sits a black eyespot with blue-white dusting. The yellow regions are more pronounced on the undersides of the wings. Blue-white arcuate spots adjoin the yellow arcuate spots on the upper side... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 3 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Mendoza | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 9 | Manaus | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Natal | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Thoas Swallowtail sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 134 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 306 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and September
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Thoas Swallowtail in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Thoas Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 28
Of the 28 parks where we can rate Thoas Swallowtail sightings, Iguazú National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Brownsberg Nature Park (Suriname, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Thoas Swallowtail that you can see in Iguazú National Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Astyalus Swallowtail (about 40%), Ruby-Spotted Swallowtail (about 20%) and Androgeus Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Thoas Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Iguazú National Park (134 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.
