Cairns Birdwing Butterfly Caterpillar Photograph by Johan Larson


Cairns Birdwing Butterfly Caterpillar by ButterflyPresence on DeviantArt

When I saw my first Birdwing Butterfly Caterpillar, I was very impressed and a little shocked at how big and spikey they were. Such a plumb black Aussie Crit.


Cairns Birdwing chrysalis 3759 Caterpillars often move a l… Flickr

cairns-birdwing-caterpillar Like all butterflies, the Cairns Birdwing undergoes a complete metamorphosis, with four stages in its life cycle: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult butterfly. The caterpillar of this species is green with black spines and is known to feed exclusively on the leaves of its host plants.


Cairns Birdwing Caterpillar transforming into a chrysalis YouTube

The Birdwing caterpillars use these plant poison for their own protection by storing the toxins in prominent fleshy orange-red spines on their backs. This colourful protection mechanism prevents birds from eating them. However, a South American vine called Aristolochia elegans


Caterpillar of a Cairns Birdwing Butterfly Stock Photo Image of pupation, metamorphosis 154926872

Care and feeding of Birdwing butterfly caterpillars Caterpillar rescue The Cairns Birdwing, Ornithoptera priamus euphorion (formerly Troides euphorion ), is our biggest and one of our most spectacular butterflies ( female, male) and it is one of the few that we actively encourage in our garden.


Crunching Caterpillars Mandurah Mail Mandurah, WA

The orchard swallowtail caterpillar is commonly found all over Australia. The caterpillars feed on various citrus tree leaves and are perceived by some as a threat. To disguise themselves from predators these caterpillars look like bird droppings in their early instars, this helps them camouflage themselves on the leaves that they feed from.


Cairns Birdwing caterpillar Cairns, Caterpillar, Vines

Learn more about their history, habitat, behaviour, and threats in support of the ongoing battle to raise awareness and provide a voice for this species at risk. Australian Wildlife Artist Maegan Oberhardt has produced an artwork using her hyperrealistic 'painting with fire' technique to highlight the species.


Cairns Birdwing Caterpillar (1week & 3 weeks old) YouTube

The Cairns Birdwing Butterfly is found in Far North Queensland. Jane shares some footage of Australia's largest butterfly caterpillars. The Cairns Birdwing Butterfly is found in Far North Queensland.


Cairns Birdwing butterfly caterpillar rescue

The Cairns Birdwing Butterfly is one of the largest butterflies in Australia, with the males wingspan reaching up to 20 centimetres, while females are slightly larger, reaching up to 25 centimetres. The males flaunt vibrant wings of black and emerald green, with elegant splashes of gold and electric blue.


Cairns Birdwing Caterpillar TROML 1255 This handsome bea… Flickr

"A Cairns birdwing butterfly ( Ornithoptera euphorion) caterpillar in the process of suspending itself in order to start the transformation into a chrysalis. The butterfly will then develop within the chrysalis and later emerge as Australia's largest butterfly," explains Johan.


Cairns Birdwing Butterfly caterpillar in my mum & dads backyard. r/australia

Birdwing caterpillars eat until they are big enough and then leave the vine they have been feeding on and attach themselves to a nearby plant, often a metre or two off the ground (sometimes they drop from the vine to the ground to crawl up the stem of another plant).


Cairns Birdwing Butterfly Caterpillar Photograph by Johan Larson

The caterpillars change colour and pattern as they grow. The three below are all Clearwing caterpillars, at early, middle and late stages of development. Cairns Birdwing caterpillars ( Troides euphorion) also depend on Aristolochia - four native species of it, in fact. However, there is only one species that both kinds of caterpillars like.


Caterpillars Cairns Botanic Gardens Let's Go Buggin Cairns Tour

Timelapse of a Cairns birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion) butterfly caterpillar metamorphosing into a chrysalis, Queensland, Australia, April.© Juergen Freund.


Caterpillar of Cairns Birdwing 7217 Young caterpillar of C… Flickr

The Cairns Birdwing butterfly is the largest of all Australian butterflies and found along northeastern Australia from Mackay to Cooktown. Its scientific name is Ornithoptera euphorion The male birdwing is green, gold and black and is very colourful, compared to the female which is black and white, with some yellow. The…


A Cairns Birdwing caterpillar in the process of suspending… Flickr

Cairns Birdwing Caterpillar (Ornithoptera euphorion) From my individual count in 2021, and this year, February seems to be the best time of the year to see Cairns Birdwing caterpillars. The butterflies can often be seen courting. This is when a male and female come together and fly in a dance formation to asses each other's viability to mate.


Cairns Birdwing Sean Crane Photography

The Cairns Birdwing ( Ornithoptera priamus) is the largest butterfly in Australia with a wingspan of over 16cm. The upper wings of the males are black with emerald green streaks across the length of the pointed wing. The female lacks the green but makes up for it with her greater size.


"Close Up Cairns birdwing caterpillar" by Jenny Dean Redbubble

Ornithoptera euphorion, the Cairns birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly endemic to Queensland, and is Australia's largest endemic butterfly species. Other common names include Cooktown birdwing and northern birdwing. [2]