| Goliath Birdwing | |
|---|---|
| Male of form supremus | |
| Female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Tribe: | Troidini |
| Genus: | Ornithoptera |
| Species: | O. goliath |
| Binomial name | |
| Ornithoptera goliath Oberthür, 1888 |
|
The Goliath Birdwing (Ornithoptera goliath) is a birdwing butterfly found in New Guinea, and is the second-largest butterfly in the world.
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It has a wingspan up to 28 centimetres (11 in). This makes it the world's second largest butterfly, after the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing. The African Giant Swallowtail reached an almost equal wing span.
The males have black, yellow and green wings and a yellow and black body, while the females are brown and white on the top wings and yellow on the bottom wings. The female is typically larger than the male. Flight is leisurely, but controlled and powerful. Males pursue their females for long distances, rising high over the forest canopy then folding their wings and diving down to tree level to mate, even though they risk hindwing damage by the sharp tarsal claws of females.
The Goliath Birdwing takes an approximate 15 minutes to emerge from its chrysalis because of its large wings.
Ornithoptera goliath lives in rainforests of New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands. Some subspecies are found in northern Irian Jaya and adjacent Islands.
The locals from Papua New Guinea farm these butterflies in the wild as a means of generating income from the environment without destroying it. Harvesting the butterflies is legal and does require a permit. It is a rare butterfly, but harvesting does not endanger it.