Banded Swallowtail

Banded Swallowtail

Papilio demolion

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Tanjung Puting National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

6 Verified sightings at Tanjung Puting National Park From 2019 to 2026
43 In all 5 parks
July Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Banded Swallowtail

Papilio demolion, the banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. Papilio demolion delostenus Rothschild, 1908 This species is present in Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. These butterflies mainly inhabit nature reserves, wastelands, mangrove areas and offshore islands.

Papilio demolion has a wingspan of 75–95 mm (3.0–3.7 in). Male upperside is brownish black. Forewings and hindwings are crossed by a broad prominent oblique pale greenish or yellowish-white band that commences just before the middle of the dorsal margin of the hindwing, crosses over on to the forewing and is continued as a series of spots that diminish in size in the upper interspaces to the apex of that wing. On the hindwing this is followed by a subterminal series of similarly coloured lunules. Underside is fuliginous black, the transverse band that crosses the wings as on the upperside.

Forewing: cell with a series of four slender longitudinal pale lines from base; the veins... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
2 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
3 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
4 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
5 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
2 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
3 Bandung 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Banded Swallowtail in Tanjung Puting National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Swallowtail sighting in Tanjung Puting National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 7 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Banded Swallowtail in Tanjung Puting National Park?

July and December

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Swallowtail in Tanjung Puting National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Banded Swallowtail?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Banded Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Tanjung Puting National Park the best place to see a Banded Swallowtail?

Yes

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Banded Swallowtail sightings, Tanjung Puting National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Gunung Leuser National Park (Indonesia, about 20%) and Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 20%).

Where does the Banded Swallowtail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Banded Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Tanjung Puting National Park (6 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.

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