Papilio thoas
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 52nd most-seen of the 98 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Thoas Swallowtail in Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–April, June and August–September, the lowest months. That is one of Tenorio Volcano National Park's wettest months, with about 420 mm of rain against 120 mm in April.
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.
16th of 28
Of the 28 parks where we can rate Thoas Swallowtail sightings, Tenorio Volcano National Park ranks 16th 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 family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Thoas Swallowtail that you can see in Tenorio Volcano National Park (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Emerald-Patched Cattleheart (about 10%), True Cattleheart (about 10%) and Iphidamas Cattleheart (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 Tenorio Volcano National Park (8 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.
