Pachliopta hector
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Pachliopta hector, the crimson rose, is a large swallowtail butterfly belonging to the genus Pachliopta (roses) of the red-bodied swallowtails. It is found in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and possibly the coast of western Myanmar.
In India, it is found in the Western Ghats, southern India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala), eastern India (West Bengal and Odisha). It is a straggler in the Andaman Islands. The IUCN classified the species as Least Concern in 2019.It is common all along the Western Ghats up to Maharashtra but rare in Gujarat. This species is protected by law in India.
The male's upper side is black. The forewing consist of a broad white interrupted band from the subcostal nervure opposite the origin of veins 10 and 11, extended obliquely to the tornus, and a second short pre-apical similar band; both bands composed of detached irregularly indented broad streaks in the interspaces. Distal posteriorly strongly curved series of seven crimson spots, followed by a subterminal series of crimson lunules on the hindwing. Cilia black alternated with white. The underside of the forewing is dull brownish black and the hindwing is black. There is... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madurai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Chennai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Salem | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Mysuru | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Hyderabad | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Ponnani | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson Rose Swallowtail sighting in Minneriya National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 44 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 and April
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson Rose Swallowtail in Minneriya National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to November, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crimson Rose 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.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Crimson Rose Swallowtail sightings, Minneriya National Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Wilpattu National Park (Sri Lanka, about 40%), Udawalawe National Park (Sri Lanka, about 30%) and Yala National Park (Sri Lanka, about 20%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crimson Rose Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Minneriya National Park (14 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.
