Birdwing
Videos
Birdwings are butterflies in the swallowtail family, that belong to the genera Trogonoptera, Troides, and Ornithoptera. Most recent authorities recognise 36 species, however, this is debated, and some authorities include additional genera. Birdwings are named for their exceptional size, angular wings, and birdlike flight. They are found across tropical Asia, mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia, and Australasia.
Early instar larva of Troides minos
Pupa of Ornithoptera victoriae
Copulating pair of Ornithoptera euphorion (female above, male below). The sexes are quite dissimilar in appearance, as is typical of species in the genus Ornithoptera.
Troides darsius
Videos
Troides darsius, the Sri Lankan birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly found in Sri Lanka. It is the largest butterfly on the island and is also the national butterfly of Sri Lanka.
Image: SL60butterfly
Image: Troides Darsius Uns
As Pompeoptera darsius in Robert Henry Fernando Rippon's Icones Ornithopterorum
Plate from Frederic Moore's The Lepidoptera of Ceylon showing male and female imagines, larva and pupa