Papilio indra
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Papilio indra, the Indra swallowtail, short-tailed black swallowtail, or cliff swallowtail, is a western North American butterfly in the family Papilionidae. The Indra swallowtail is a black butterfly with minimal blue and whitish markings, similar in coloration to the black swallowtail or the short-tailed swallowtail. Likewise, the species has a very short tail, and dark blue crescents on the topside of the hindwing.
P. indra can be found in a variety of ecosystems, ranging from sea level in some areas to several thousand feet in elevation elsewhere. They can be found near many cities and other human settlements, as well as in extremely isolated, pristine forested regions, remote high deserts, prairies, or in montane habitats.
Geographically, P. indra is found in the western half of North America, from extreme southern British Columbia, south through Washington, Oregon and California (extending to northern Baja California, Mexico). It is also found around the Rockies, north from Idaho and western Montana through Wyoming, Nevada, Utah and Colorado, and south to Arizona and New Mexico. Sightings have also occurred as far east as western... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indra Swallowtail sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 148th most-seen of the 227 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indra Swallowtail in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months. Those are among Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indra Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Indra Swallowtail sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Indra Swallowtail that you can see in Yosemite National Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Pale Swallowtail (about 30%), Western Tiger Swallowtail (about 20%) and Anise Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indra Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Yosemite National Park (9 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.
