Adults will feed on a variety of flowers; they especially like smaller flowers such as Lantana. The adult butterflies have also been observed visiting rotting fruit.
The origin of Athyma is currently unknown. In Greek mythology, Perius was one of the sons of Aegyptus
The Common Sergeant is often found visiting urban gardens, but their primary habitat is open forest and surrounding secondary growth.
While the females visit flowers for nectar the males patrol the area looking for a receptive female. After mating, the females look for host plants on which they can lay their eggs. After the eggs hatch the caterpillars feed on the plant until they are ready to form their pupae.
There are multiple generations of the Common Sergeant making it possible to find adults year round.
As an adult butterfly the Common Sergeant looks very similar to the Common Sailor (Neptis hylas). The major difference between the two is the white strip found on the leading edge of the forewing. On the Common Sergeant that white band is a single long dash with three dots. The Common Sailor, on the other hand, has a longer dash line and a single dot.
