Southern Birdwing butterfly

About Southern Birdwing butterfly:

• It is also called the ‘Sahyadri Birdwing’ and it is India’s second largest butterfly species.
• Distribution: It is a large and striking butterfly species found in South Asia, majorly in the Western Ghats.
• It is exceptionally large in size, with wings that exceed the dimensions of smaller birds. This notable wingspan is the reason behind its name, “birdwing.“
• Males typically have black wings with greenish-blue markings, while females have a more extensive pattern with cream-coloured markings.
• It is the state butterfly of Karnataka.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Least concern

Key points about Western Ghats

• It is a mountain rangethat covers an area of 160,000 sq km in a stretch of 1,600 Km parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula.
• It traverses through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Siteand is one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world.
• These Ghats are home to high mountain forests, which moderate the tropical climate of the region and present one of the best examples of the monsoon system on the planet.