Oleander Hawkmoth

Oleander Hawkmoth

Daphnis nerii

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Kruger National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

6 Verified sightings at Kruger National Park From 2019 to 2026
19 In all 3 parks
February Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Oleander Hawkmoth

Daphnis nerii, the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Daphnis nerii is a large hawk-moth found in wide areas of Africa, Asia and Hawaii. It is a migratory species, flying to parts of eastern and southern Europe during the summer, particularly Turkey, very occasionally reaching western Europe, including England and can even reach to as far north as Scotland or even Finland.

The adults feed on nectar of a great variety of flowers. They have a preference for fragrant species like petunia, jasmine, periwinkle and honeysuckle. They are especially active in the twilight time, hovering over the flowers after sunset.

The caterpillars feed mainly on oleander (Nerium oleander) leaves, a highly toxic plant, to which the caterpillars are immune. They also may feed on most other plants of the dogbane family, such as Adenium obesum, Tabernaemontana divaricata and Alstonia scholaris in India. They also eat unbloomed flowers of Tabernaemontana divaricata at night. In England, where the species is one of the rarest migrant hawk-moths, a larva... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
2 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
3 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Durg 🇮🇳 India
~40%
2 Lucknow 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar 🇮🇳 India
~30%
4 Ho Chi Minh City 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~30%
5 Jabalpur 🇮🇳 India
~30%
6 Coimbatore 🇮🇳 India
~30%
7 Phnom Penh 🇰🇭 Cambodia
~20%
8 Hanoi 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~20%
9 Manila 🇵🇭 Philippines
~20%
10 Bengaluru 🇮🇳 India
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Oleander Hawkmoth in Kruger National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Oleander Hawkmoth sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 588th most-seen of the 748 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Oleander Hawkmoth in Kruger National Park?

February

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Oleander Hawkmoth in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to January, the lowest months. That is one of Kruger National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against almost none in August.

What time of day is best to see an Oleander Hawkmoth?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oleander Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Kruger National Park the best place to see an Oleander Hawkmoth?

Among the best

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Oleander Hawkmoth sightings, Kruger National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Garden Route National Park (South Africa, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Oleander Hawkmoth live in Kruger National Park?

Same family: Sphingidae

The closest relatives of the Oleander Hawkmoth that you can see in Kruger National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Wavy Polyptychus (about 10%), Vine Hawkmoth (about 10%) and Marshalls Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Oleander Hawkmoth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Oleander Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Kruger National Park (6 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.

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