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Queen Alexandra's birdwing Ornithoptera alexandrae Endangered

Where the Queen Alexandra's birdwing lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Recorded in (GBIF)Representative wild record

Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild-collected museum specimen (a central record among 9 open-licence GBIF records – few open-licence observations were available), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See butterflies & moths on the world map

Queen Alexandra's birdwing: 013602428 Ornithoptera alexandrae dorsal male
Preserved museum specimen (no free photo of a live animal found). Photo: Peter Wing, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific nameOrnithoptera alexandrae
GroupButterflies & moths
StatusEndangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in1 country
ContinentsOceania
ClassInsect
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyPapilionidae

Where does the Queen Alexandra's birdwing live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Queen Alexandra's birdwing in 1 country or territory across Oceania.

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.

Is the Queen Alexandra's birdwing endangered?

The Queen Alexandra's birdwing’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Queen Alexandra's birdwing?

The Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is an insect in the order Lepidoptera and the family Papilionidae, genus Ornithoptera. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Queen Alexandra's birdwing

Ornithoptera alexandrae, the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, is the largest species of butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans slightly in excess of 25 to 28 cm (10 to 11 in). This birdwing is restricted to the forests of the Oro Province in eastern Papua New Guinea.

The species is endangered and one of only four insects to be listed on Appendix I of CITES, making commercial international trade illegal. The other three insects listed are butterflies as well. They are the Parides burchellanus, Papilio homerus, Papilio chikae chikae (plus subspecies chikae hermeli).

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Queen Alexandra's birdwing (revision 1337061943), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q932602 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).

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