Graphium colonna
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Graphium colonna, the black swordtail or mamba swordtail, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Africa (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Sudan, Southwest Ethiopia, Southern Somalia, Uganda, coastal Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Eastern Zimbabwe, Zululand, and Eswatini).
The wingspan is 55–60 mm (2.2–2.4 in) in males and 60–65 mm (2.4–2.6 in) in females. The markings of the upper surface green, only two transverse streaks of the hindwing in cellules 1 c and 2 red; the ground-colour darker than in related species, almost pure black; distinguished from all related species by having the discal spot in cellule lb of the forewing very narrow,
streak-like, and forming a direct continuation of the second transverse bar of the middle cell, and further by having the discal spot in cellule 2 of the forewing also narrow and placed almost exactly at the middle of vein 2; the hindwing entirely without green discal spots. The larva is yellowish green with a violet-brown lateral line; the spines on the second and third segments are not simple... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Swordtail sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 92nd most-seen of the 316 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 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Swordtail in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to August, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Swordtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only iSimangaliso Wetland Park, in our data
iSimangaliso Wetland Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Black Swordtail sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Graphium
The closest relatives of the Black Swordtail that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (genus Graphium, Swordtails, Jays, Bluebottles and allies) are Angola White Lady (about 10%), Large Striped Swordtail (about 10%) and Veined Swordtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Swordtail is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (19 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.
