Paradise Birdwing vs Emerald Cockroach Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Paradise Birdwing Emerald Cockroach Wasp
Scientific Name Ornithoptera paradisea Ampulex compressa
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Papilionidae Ampulicidae
Size 120-170 mm wingspan 22 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Oceania (Papua New Guinea) Africa, Asia, Oceania
Conservation Vulnerable Least Concern

Paradise Birdwing

A spectacular birdwing butterfly endemic to Papua New Guinea, notable for the elongated tails on the male's hindwings. Males display brilliant green and gold colouration. It is found in lowland and hill forests.

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Did You Know?

The male's long hindwing tails trail behind in flight, creating a spectacularly graceful display reminiscent of a bird of paradise.

Emerald Cockroach Wasp

A brilliant emerald-green wasp that zombifies cockroaches. It delivers precise stings to the cockroachs brain, removing its escape reflex. Then leads it by the antenna like a dog on a leash.

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Did You Know?

The emerald cockroach wasp performs neurosurgery — it stings a cockroach twice in precise brain locations to disable its escape reflex, then walks it to a burrow like a zombie.