Invertebrates
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
Ornithoptera alexandrae · also called queen alexandras birdwing butterfly
Spanning up to 30 centimetres across, a female Queen Alexandra’s birdwing glides through the rainforest canopy of Papua New Guinea, the largest butterfly species in the world, found naturally nowhere else on Earth.
Overview
Queen Alexandra’s birdwing, Ornithoptera alexandrae, is an Endangered butterfly confined to a small area of lowland rainforest in Papua New Guinea. Its record-setting size, striking difference between male and female colouring, and inherited toxicity from its caterpillar diet make it one of the most remarkable and urgently threatened butterflies on Earth.
A giant among butterflies
With female wingspans reaching up to 30 centimetres, Queen Alexandra’s birdwing dwarfs nearly every other butterfly species alive, a scale made all the more striking by how tiny and restricted its entire natural range actually is.
Status
Endangered, with a declining population confined to a small and shrinking area of lowland rainforest in Papua New Guinea, threatened by deforestation and habitat loss.
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing: common questions
How big does Queen Alexandra's birdwing get?
Females can reach a wingspan of up to 30 centimetres, making it the largest butterfly species in the world by wingspan, dwarfing nearly every other butterfly on Earth.
Why do male and female Queen Alexandra's birdwings look so different?
Males are considerably smaller and show vivid iridescent green and blue colouring, while females are larger and more subdued in brown and cream, a striking example of sexual dimorphism within a single butterfly species.
Is Queen Alexandra's birdwing poisonous?
Yes, its caterpillars feed on a specific toxic vine and retain the toxins through metamorphosis, making both the caterpillar and the adult butterfly unpalatable to most predators.
Why is Queen Alexandra's birdwing endangered?
It is confined naturally to a small area of lowland rainforest in Papua New Guinea, and deforestation and habitat loss within that already tiny range have driven a continuing population decline.