Speckled Wood vs Priamus Birdwing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Speckled Wood Priamus Birdwing
Scientific Name Pararge aegeria Ornithoptera priamus
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Papilionidae
Size 40-45 mm wingspan 120-190 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Underground
Diet Omnivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, North Africa, Central Asia Oceania (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, northern Australia)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Speckled Wood

Brown butterfly with cream or orange spots and small eyespots on hindwings. Males defend sunlit patches on the forest floor.

💡

Did You Know?

It is the only European butterfly that overwinters as either a caterpillar or a pupa.

Priamus Birdwing

A large and variable birdwing butterfly found across Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and parts of northern Australia. Males display vivid green and black wings. It is the most widespread species in the genus Ornithoptera.

💡

Did You Know?

This species shows extraordinary colour variation across its range, with over 100 subspecies described from different islands.