Birding Q & A
Do you have a birding question? Send us an email! —we'll post the answer here!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
posted by Laura Guerard | 4:00 PM
Q: Are there any butterflies that are bigger than a bird?
A: One actually. It is a rare, endangered species of butterfly called Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) which is the largest butterfly in the world. It is restricted to the lowland forests of Papua New Guinea.
The females of this species are larger than the males and can reach a wingspan of 31cm (>14 inches), with a body length of 8 cm (3.2 inches). They are the heaviest known butterfly, weighing in at up to .42 ounces or 12 grams. That is 7.5 times heavier than a male Cuban Bee Hummingbird!
A: One actually. It is a rare, endangered species of butterfly called Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) which is the largest butterfly in the world. It is restricted to the lowland forests of Papua New Guinea.
The females of this species are larger than the males and can reach a wingspan of 31cm (>14 inches), with a body length of 8 cm (3.2 inches). They are the heaviest known butterfly, weighing in at up to .42 ounces or 12 grams. That is 7.5 times heavier than a male Cuban Bee Hummingbird!
<< Home