What is the biggest butterfly in the world?The 'birdwings' are the biggest butterflies in the world. Birdwings are centred mainly in New Guinea, but they are also found north into tropical Asia and south into tropical and sub-tropical Australia, where 3 species are found in the rainforests along the east coast. Birdwings frequently glide and are often high up in the canopy. The 3 species found in Australia have bright green and yellow males, with the larger females being a less colourful black and white with some yellow. The larvae of the Australian species all feed on leaves of various Aristolochid vines. At some flowering plants, larger individual birdwings are larger than native birds such as sunbirds and myzomela honeyeaters!
so where so I can see birdwings?Birdwings can be seen in, and especially on the edge, of tropical rainforest in north-east Australia, New Guinea and south-east Asia. In Australia, the best place to see and photograph them is around the flower beds at Lake Barrine, especially in summer and autumn. They also flutter around Cairns Botanical Gardens.
In New Guinea, I tend to see them mostly around the islands. They often hang around the flowers in small coastal villages. They seem particualrly common around Dobu island.
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