Pyrgus carlinae
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The carline skipper (Pyrgus carlinae) is a butterfly and a species of the skipper (family Hesperiidae). It is a montane butterfly only found in southwestern areas of the Alps. It can be an abundant species within this restricted range.
As with most Pyrgus species, the carline skipper can be difficult to identify in the field. The dark brown upper forewings are marked with relatively small white markings but can usually be separated from the olive skipper (Pyrgus serratulae) by a c-shaped white mark close to the costa and the reddish-brown, not olive green, colour of the under hindwings, with a large square pale spot close to the margin. The wingspan is 26–28 mm. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Carline Skipper sighting in Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 272nd most-seen of the 412 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.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Carline Skipper in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months. That is one of Mercantour National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 140 mm in October.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Carline Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Carline Skipper sightings, Mercantour National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Vanoise National Park (France, about 10%) and Ecrins National Park (France, about 10%).
Same genus: Pyrgus
The closest relatives of the Carline Skipper that you can see in Mercantour National Park (genus Pyrgus, Grizzled Skippers) are Safflower Skipper (about 30%), Southern Grizzled Skipper (about 20%) and Olive Skipper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Carline Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Mercantour National Park (10 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.
