Aglais io: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the aglais io lives – recorded in 23 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Aglais io
Group	Butterflies & moths
Found in	23 countries
Continents	Europe
Class	Insect
Order	Lepidoptera
Family	Nymphalidae

Where does the aglais io live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the aglais io in 23 countries and territories across Europe.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the aglais io?

The aglais io (Aglais io) is an insect in the order Lepidoptera and the family Nymphalidae, genus Aglais. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the aglais io

Aglais io, the European peacock, or the peacock butterfly, is a colourful butterfly, found in Europe and temperate Asia as far east as Japan. The peacock butterfly is resident in much of its range, often wintering in buildings or trees. It therefore often appears quite early in spring.

The peacock butterfly has figured in research in which the role of eyespots as an anti-predator mechanism has been investigated. The peacock is expanding its range and is not known to be threatened.

In a 2026 poll conducted by Butterfly Conservation, the peacock butterfly was declared Britain's favourite butterfly.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Aglais io (revision 1380253580), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q158699 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).