Pachliopta hector
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Pachliopta hector, the crimson rose, is a large swallowtail butterfly belonging to the genus Pachliopta (roses) of the red-bodied swallowtails. It is found in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and possibly the coast of western Myanmar.
In India, it is found in the Western Ghats, southern India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala), eastern India (West Bengal and Odisha). It is a straggler in the Andaman Islands. The IUCN classified the species as Least Concern in 2019.It is common all along the Western Ghats up to Maharashtra but rare in Gujarat. This species is protected by law in India.
The male's upper side is black. The forewing consist of a broad white interrupted band from the subcostal nervure opposite the origin of veins 10 and 11, extended obliquely to the tornus, and a second short pre-apical similar band; both bands composed of detached irregularly indented broad streaks in the interspaces. Distal posteriorly strongly curved series of seven crimson spots, followed by a subterminal series of crimson lunules on the hindwing. Cilia black alternated with white. The underside of the forewing is dull brownish black and the hindwing is black. There is... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madurai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Chennai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Salem | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Mysuru | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Hyderabad | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Ponnani | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson Rose Swallowtail sighting in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 12 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson Rose Swallowtail in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May, August–September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Wilpattu National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 320 mm in November.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crimson Rose 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.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Crimson Rose Swallowtail sightings, Wilpattu National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Udawalawe National Park (Sri Lanka, about 30%) and Yala National Park (Sri Lanka, about 20%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crimson Rose Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Wilpattu National Park (17 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.
