Tirumala petiverana
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Tirumala petiverana, the blue monarch, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical Sub-Saharan Africa. Their habitat consists of Afromontane, lowland and riverine forests as well as moist savanna.
The wingspan is 60–75 mm. There is one generation per year. Adults are on wing from February to May (with peaks in April) in Zimbabwe. The larvae feed on Pergularia extensa, Pergularia daemia, Daemia, Hoya, and Marsdenia rubicunda.
Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 25 Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 2 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 5 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Monarch sighting in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 20 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–February and September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Monarch in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May–June, August and October, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue Monarch sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Blue Monarch sightings, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (Mexico, about 40%), Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 20%) and Biotopo Cerro Cahuí (Guatemala, about 20%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Blue Monarch that you can see in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Zebra Longwing (about 20%), White Peacock (about 20%) and Gray Cracker (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Monarch is recorded against all the insects logged in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (16 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.
