Vanessa itea
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The yellow admiral or Australian admiral (Vanessa itea) is a butterfly native to Australia, New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Islands. The Māori name is kahukōwhai, which means "yellow cloak". The yellow admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the subfamily Nymphalinae and the tribe Nymphalini.
The yellow admiral is a medium-sized butterfly, with a variable wingspan of 48 to 50 mm in Tasmania, and 48 to 55 mm in New Zealand. The upperside of the forewings are dark brown to black toward the outer edges, with three small white patches and a wide, bright yellow bar, and dull red nearer the body. The rear wings are dull red with a black border, and a row of black circles with light blue centres near the edge.
The underwings are very different – the rear wing is various shades of brown with cryptic, irregular markings; the underside of the forewing has a blue eyespot on a black background that is highlighted by a yellow area above and below.
Yellow admirals are relatively common throughout their range wherever their food plants occur. They prefer open country, wastelands and gardens where the stinging nettles Urtica incisa... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 10 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow Admiral sighting in Rottnest Island on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 7 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow Admiral in Rottnest Island on a given day, against under 5% in November to August, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow Admiral sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Yellow Admiral sightings, Rottnest Island ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Wilsons Promontory National Park (Australia, about 30%), Great Otway National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Kosciuszko National Park (Australia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow Admiral is recorded against all the insects logged in Rottnest Island (5 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.
