Where do chimaera birdwing butterflies live?

The chimaera birdwing butterfly ("Ornithoptera Chimaera") is a beautiful butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in mountain areas of New Guinea, 1000 meters above sea level.

The "Chimera" part of the name comes from the creature of the same name from Greek mythology, which was made up of parts of three animals.

It feeds mainly on the nectar of the hibiscus, a common and beautiful flower. They have a wingspan of 80-180 mm in females and 70-150 mm in males.

The upperside of the forewings of the male chimaera birdwing are black with three streaks of yellowish-green scales. The hindwings are mainly yellow with an area of black and small patches of green on top of the yellow. There are two or more black dots within the yellow area. The underside is more colourful with less black areas.

Females are dark brown, with several indistinct white spots on the forewings and a broad pale band on the hindwing enclosing a semicircular series of black spots. The furry body is primarily black and yellow.

The caterpillar has a black body with a yellow ‘saddle’, covered with small, spiky bumps. The pupa is black mottled with pale yellowish-brown.

It's found in the montane rainforests of the Cordillera Central of Papua New Guinea. The larvae feed on species of the genus Aristolochia, including Aristolochia momandul. The female lays up to 20 eggs on the leaves. Groups of both sexes can be seen circling the tops of these trees in the canopy.