Papilio garamas
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Papilio garamas, commonly known as the mexico phoenix or magnificent swallowtail, is a species of Neotropical swallowtail butterfly found in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica. A large butterfly with a wingspan of 80 to 110 millimetres. The females are dimorphic, either resembling the male or dark forms lacking the cream median and postdiscal bands, contrasting with deep black ground colour.
Papilio garamas is a member of the homerus species group. The members of this clade are: Papilio cacicus Lucas, 1852 Papilio euterpinus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Swallowtail sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 229th most-seen of the 506 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.
February–March and May–August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Magnificent Swallowtail in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in April and September–January, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Magnificent Swallowtail 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 Magnificent Swallowtail sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (Mexico, about 20%) and Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 10%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Magnificent Swallowtail that you can see in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Thoas Swallowtail (about 10%), Ruby-Spotted Swallowtail (about 10%) and Black Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Magnificent Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (11 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.
