Common blue: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the common blue lives – recorded in 29 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Polyommatus icarus
Group	Butterflies & moths
Found in	29 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe
Class	Insect
Order	Lepidoptera
Family	Lycaenidae

Where does the common blue live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the common blue in 29 countries and territories across Asia and 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 common blue?

The common blue (Polyommatus icarus) is an insect in the order Lepidoptera and the family Lycaenidae, genus Polyommatus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the common blue

The common blue butterfly or European common blue (Polyommatus icarus) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and subfamily Polyommatinae. The butterfly is found throughout the Palearctic and has been introduced to North America. Butterflies in the Polyommatinae are collectively called blues, from the coloring of the wings. Common blue males usually have wings that are blue above with a black-brown border and a white fringe. The females are usually brown above with a blue dusting and orange spots.

The Common blue was elected as the national butterfly of Israel in 2023. The contest was launched by the National Butterfly Lovers of Israel Association, with the participation of other nature organizations. A factor in the election result is that like Polyommatus icarus, the flag of Israel is blue and white.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Common blue (revision 1377227023), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q161533 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).