Not all butterflies are monarchs: orientation using daytime celestial cues but not magnetic cues in European migratory red admirals (Vanessa atalanta)
Our results demonstrate that (i) red admirals primarily rely on solar cues for selecting their migratory direction; (ii) they show no response to clock-shift manipulation; and (iii) there is no evidence of magnetic compass use. These findings contrast with monarch butterflies, which rely on both a time-compensated sun compass and a light-dependent magnetic compass, and reveal interspecific variation in compass use among diurnal Lepidoptera.