Papilio nephelus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Papilio nephelus is a species of swallowtail butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. Papilio nephelus has a wingspan reaching about 10–12 centimetres (3.9–4.7 in). The basic colour of the wings is black, with a chain of white spots on the forewing and a large white or yellow area on the hindwing. The underside and the upperside of the wings in this species are very similar. The hindwings have wavy margins, with long tails. The thorax and the abdomen are black.
Papilio nephelus superficially closely resembles P. helenus. The differences are, however, both of structure and of colour. Male forewing upperside: entirely without the thick coating of short hairs on the outer half. Upperside: black with a sprinkling of yellowish-brown scales on the forewing, that form four longitudinal streaks on the cell and internervular streaks on the outer half. Hindwing: the upper discal white patch larger, formed of elongate broad streaks in interspaces 4 to 7 (not 5 to 7): no tornal nor subterminal markings. Underside ground colour duller brownish black; forewing with the diffuse... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 7 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 8 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-And-White Helen Swallowtail sighting in Kinabalu Park on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 36th most-seen of the 297 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
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-And-White Helen Swallowtail in Kinabalu Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June and August–September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-And-White Helen 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.
6th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Black-And-White Helen Swallowtail sightings, Kinabalu Park ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 30%), Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 20%) and Kerinci Seblat National Park (Indonesia, about 20%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Black-And-White Helen Swallowtail that you can see in Kinabalu Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Great Mormon Swallowtail (about 30%) and Banded Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-And-White Helen Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Kinabalu Park (29 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.
