Charaxes brutus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Charaxes brutus, the white-barred emperor or white-barred Charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Africa (see subspecies section for detailed information). Its flight period is year-round. Notes on the biology of brutus are given by Larsen, T.B. (1991).
Its average wingspan is 60–75 mm in males and 75–90 mm in females. Both wings above black or black-brown with a common white or whitish yellow discal band, which on the forewing is broken up into spots towards the costal margin. Marginal spots wanting; but
the hindwing has before the distal margin 2—4 small blue spots, 2 in cellule 1 c and one each in 2 and 3. The under surface has a continuous white discal band; the ground-colour of the basal part is red-brown with the black, white-edged markings peculiar to the genus, which stand out sharply; the marginal part is brown-yellow next to the discal band and then ornamented with large, triangular black spots, distally bordered with pale grey. The hindwing also at vein 3 with a distinct, but short tail. — brutus Cr. The discal band on the upper surface pure white, not or only indistinctly margined with blue, on the forewing also with a spot... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-Barred Emperor sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 84th 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.
March and May
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-Barred Emperor in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to December, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-Barred Emperor sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate White-Barred Emperor sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 30%) and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda, about 20%).
Same genus: Charaxes
The closest relatives of the White-Barred Emperor that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (genus Charaxes, Emperor Butterflies) are White Pearl Emperor (about 10%) and Forest Queen (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-Barred Emperor is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (23 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.
