The birdwings are the largest and arguably the most spectacular of butterflies. In terms of wing span and weight, the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Ornithoptera alexandrae, which has a restricted range in Northern Papua New Guinea, is the world’s largest butterfly with the drabber females attaining a wingspan of 270mm. PNG has eight species in two genuses (Troides and Ornithoptera) of which four species: Troides oblongomaculatus, Ornithoptera priamus, Ornithoptera goliath, and Ornithoptera meridionalis probably occur in my local area (a third genus, Trogonoptera, is not found in PNG). I have spotted a number of specimens previously but have not been able to photograph any. Last Sunday however, my daughter called my attention to a nice specimen of a a male Ornithoptera priamus poseidon resting on a tree in our garden. I was able to capture it and take some photographs. It was released unharmed later as all birdwings are protected in PNG. Ornithoptera priamus is a widespread birdwing and is found in Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Islands, and in northern Australia. There are a number of subspecies and even colour forms.
An Amateur Naturalist in PNG 