Acraea esebria
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Acraea esebria, the dusky acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae from southern and eastern Africa. The wingspan is 45–55 mm for males and 53–60 mm for females. Males and females both show the same range of colouration.
The dusky acraea is a variable species, but the most common form is black with a white band across the forewing and a white patch on the lower forewing and on the hindwing. There are a number of described morphs (with white, yellow or orange patches) including:
f. ertli f. esebria f. protea (black with creamy-yellow patches) f. monteironis (black with white patches) f. jacksoni The numerous forms of A. esebria differ especially in the colour of the light markings, in the breadth of the subapical band and the hindmarginal spot of the forewing and in the development of the dark marginal band on the upperside of the hindwing. According to Trimen the larva is light ochre-brown; each segment in the middle with a black transverse streak edged with light yellow; head black; spines black, only the lateral spines on segments 5-11 yellow; lives on species of the genus Fleurya. Pupa white with slightly yellowish tone and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Acraea sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 748 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Acraea in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and September–February, the lowest months. That is one of Kruger National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 110 mm in February.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dusky Acraea sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Dusky Acraea sightings, Kruger National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%) and iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same genus: Acraea
The closest relatives of the Dusky Acraea that you can see in Kruger National Park (genus Acraea, Acraeas) are Dancing Amber (about 20%), Wandering Donkey Acraea (about 10%) and Whitebar Acraea (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dusky Acraea is recorded against all the insects logged in Kruger National Park (41 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.
