Peacock Butterfly

The peacock butterfly (Aglais io) is a European and Asian butterfly with large eyespots on each wing. It startles predators by flashing the spots and making a hissing sound.

🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Peacock Butterfly in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Ecdysozoa lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.

When a bird approaches, the butterfly flicks its wings open to reveal the eyespots and rubs the wings together to make a hiss and click. In experiments, blue tits were frightened by both the sight and the sound, and each alone also worked to some extent.

With its wings closed, the underside is dark brown and resembles a dead leaf, giving the butterfly camouflage as it rests or hibernates. Adults hibernate in sheds, hollow trees and caves over winter.

The spiny black caterpillars feed in groups on stinging nettles. Leaving patches of nettles in sunny spots helps conserve the species. See Monarch Butterfly.

• Monarch Butterfly — another butterfly with defenses
• Luna Moth — a moth with defensive tails