Queen Alexandra's Birdwing

Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest butterfly in the world, with a wingspan of up to about 25 to 28 centimeters. It lives only in a small area of rainforest in Papua New Guinea and is listed as Endangered.

🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Queen Alexandra's Birdwing 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.

The female is bigger and brown with cream markings, while the male is smaller and has iridescent blue-green and gold wings. The caterpillars feed on a poisonous pipevine (Aristolochia), whose toxins make the adults unpalatable.

The butterfly is found in the coastal forests of the Oro Province. The eruption of Mount Lamington in 1951 destroyed much of its forest, and clearing for oil palm plantations has further reduced its habitat.

The species was named after Queen Alexandra in 1907 and is listed in CITES Appendix I, which prohibits commercial trade. Villagers raise related butterflies in ranching schemes.

• Monarch Butterfly — another toxic butterfly
• Deforestation — habitat loss