Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing – Largest Butterfly in the World

Those who afraid of all these insects and even butterflies and those, who like them, please, pay attention – the largest butterfly in the world Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing with a wingspan of 10 inches (approximately 30 cm) and weight near 12 grams and even more.

If you really have an intention to see this butterfly with your own eyes, you are welcome to visit New Guinea, it lives only in a few valleys not far from Popondetta (rainforests) and regarded as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing such a strange and honourable name was given after Queen Alexandra, to Europe this butterfly was introduced in 1906.

As a rule, female butterflies are bigger than male ones. But male species are brighter and more colourful. One very interesting peculiarity: caterpillars of these butterflies adore eating te pipevine plant and it is a toxic one, so the butterfly is toxic to predators and they prefer not to touch it.

These butterflies are real wonders of the world, but they are endangered not only because such processes as deforestation and destruction of habitat, there are a lot of butterflies’ collectors and nothing will stop them from getting such a species, although their collecting is prohibited by the law.