Papilio nireus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Papilio nireus, the green-banded swallowtail, narrow-banded blue swallowtail, or African blue-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The wingspan is 75–90 millimetres (3.0–3.5 in) in males and 85–95 mm (3.3–3.7 in) in females.
Forewing above at most with two blue submarginal spots in cellules 7 and 8; rarely in the female with several yellow ones; the blue (male) or greenish (female) median band is 2–7 mm broad at the hindmargin of the forewing and 4–12 mm in the middle of the hindwing, and is only a little widened posteriorly; the spot in cellule 2 of the hindwing does not completely cover the base of the cellule and the narrow spot in cellule lc does not reach the cell; forewing beneath almost always entirely without submarginal spots. [Nominate] Median band of the forewing above well developed, the spots of cellules 2—4 obliquely cut off distally; the discal spot in cellule 2 of the hindwing is very long and produced farther towards the anal angle than the spot in cellule 1 c. Sierra Leone to Angola and Uganda. — lyaeus Dbl. The median band narrower, but complete; the spot in cellule 2 of the hindwing is... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 3 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 8 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow Green-Banded Swallowtail sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 78 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.
February
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow Green-Banded Swallowtail in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and August, the lowest months. That is one of iSimangaliso Wetland Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against 30 mm in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Narrow Green-Banded Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Narrow Green-Banded Swallowtail sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 30%), Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 20%) and Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 20%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Narrow Green-Banded Swallowtail that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Citrus Swallowtail (about 20%), Mocker Swallowtail (about 20%) and Constantine's Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Narrow Green-Banded Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (78 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.
