Hypolycaena philippus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hairstreak sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 94 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 19th most-seen of the 316 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–March and May
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hairstreak in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and November, 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.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Common Hairstreak sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%) and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Common Hairstreak that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Forest Hairtail (about 20%), African Grass Blue (about 20%) and Tropical Pentila (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 iSimangaliso Wetland Park (94 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.
