Papilio thoas
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Papilio thoas, the king swallowtail or Thoas swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in the southernmost United States, Mexico, Central America and South America (as far south as Argentina and Uruguay). The species is easily confused with the giant swallowtail, which it closely resembles in both larval and adult stages. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of citrus plants (Rutaceae). They have also been reported as feeding on a member of the genus Piper.
A large species (12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in) wingspan. The wings are narrow. The forewings are mostly brown. A yellow band runs from the tip, becoming narrower towards the back. There is also a row of yellow arcuate spots on the underside of the wing edge. The hind wings are predominantly brown, toothed and have a long caudal process. This carries a yellow core. There is a row of yellow arcuate spots at the edge of the hind wings. A broad yellow band runs through the first half of the wing. Inside sits a black eyespot with blue-white dusting. The yellow regions are more pronounced on the undersides of the wings. Blue-white arcuate spots adjoin the yellow arcuate spots on the upper side... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 3 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Mendoza | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 9 | Manaus | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Natal | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Thoas Swallowtail sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 111th 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 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Thoas Swallowtail in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in February, August and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Thoas 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.
22nd of 28
Of the 28 parks where we can rate Thoas Swallowtail sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 22nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Brownsberg Nature Park (Suriname, about 50%), Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 40%) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Thoas Swallowtail that you can see in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Ruby-Spotted Swallowtail (about 10%), Black Swallowtail (about 10%) and Magnificent Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Thoas Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (25 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.
