Queen Alexandra's birdwing
- "I caught a birdwing butterfly! A green light in midair!" —Wild World
- "I caught a birdwing butterfly! Tweet tweet, flap flap?" —City Folk
- "I caught a birdwing butterfly! Wow! It's about the size of a bird!" —New Leaf
- "I caught a Queen Alexandra's birdwing! That's a feather in my cap!" —New Horizons
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| Name: Ornithoptera alexandrae Family: Papilionidae - Swallowtail butterflies | ||||||
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Names in other languages
アレキサンドラトリバネアゲハ 亚历山大凤蝶 亚历山大凤蝶 알렉산드라비단제비나비 Troides alexandrae Troides alexandrae Mariposa alas de pájaro Mariposa alas de pájaro Farfalla regina Alessandra Птицекрылка Александры Vogelfalter Alexandra's vogelvlinder | ||||||
The Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (アレクサンドラアゲハ, Arekusandora ageha), known as the Birdwing Butterfly prior to New Horizons and as the Large Butterfly in Doubutsu no Mori e+, is considered the rarest butterfly in the series, with reference to its immense size and rarity in real life. It can be found during the summer, between June and September (from May to September in New Horizons), from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.. It can be found flying near flowers.
Catch details
Wild World
| 64px | ''The largest butterflies in the world, they have been mistaken for birds and shot."
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City Folk
In Pocket Camp
Friendship Points
In New Horizons
"I caught a Queen Alexandra's birdwing! That's a feather in my cap!"
| Time of year | North: May – Sep South: Nov – Mar |
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| Time of day | 8 AM – 4 PM |
| Location | Flying near flowers |
| Weather | Any except rain |
| Spawn requirement | Catch 50 total bugs |
| Selling prices |  Nook's Cranny:  4,000 Bells Flick: 6,000 Bells
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| Furniture size | 
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Donating to the Museum
As with all insects in the Animal Crossing series, the Birdwing Butterfly can be donated to the Museum followed by a short monologue by Blathers, the curator.
In Wild World
"Though I know this is a type of tiger butterfly, its size is simply monstrous! Are you trying to terrify me with this behemoth? No, you wouldn't do that. Rather shabby of me to suggest you would... Please accept my apologies!"
In City Folk
"Hoo my, what a butterfly... I now see why it's touted as the world's largest butterfly, eh wot? I'd heard the wings of this particular butterfly can extend over a foot...but up close, they look bigger still! If one of these flew into me while I was out flying... I'd likely pass out in horror and plummet on the spot!"
In New Leaf
Upon being donated, the butterfly can be found in the room of the bug exhibit with the Rafflesia. The exhibit has this to say about the Birdwing Butterfly:
"The world's largest butterflies, birdwing butterflies, have wings that can measure 30 cm long.The females have longer wings than the males, while the males' wings have a deeper blue color. Though they are extremely popular with collectors, international trading is either limited or fully banned."
In New Horizons
"Hoo! The horror! This behemoth butterfly may be called a Queen Alexandra's birdwing...But I call it the Queen of My Nightmares! It is huge! Indeed, the world's hugest. No butterfly can best its foot-long wingspan. The larvae alone grow to more than 4 inches. As if that weren't appalling enough...they're poisonous! Murderous monsters, indeed!"
When donated, the Queen Alexandra's birdwing flies around the butterfly room in the museum's bug exhibit.
Gallery
Further information
The Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is considered the largest butterfly in the world, named after Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. It was discovered by Albert Stewart Meek, who was employed by Lord Walter Rothschild (who named it) in 1907, in Papua New Guinea. It was shot down using a shotgun, but its early stages were discovered and bred through to get to this stage. The female birdwing has a wingspan of up to 31cm, while the male (which appears in game) has a smaller wingspan of up to 26cm. The birdwing flies quite high in the rainforest, making it hard to catch, which is the main reason hunters shoot them with shotguns. The birdwing in Animal Crossing also flies higher than usual butterflies, a reference to its flying habits in the real world.
The birdwing is endangered, threatened by habitat loss. Most of Papua New Guinea's rainforests were destroyed during a volcanic eruption, wiping out parts of the birdwing's habitat.
Names in other languages
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アレキサンドラトリバネアゲハ arekisandora-toribaneageha |
Alexandria's birdwing butterfly |
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알렉산드라비단제비나비 alleksandeurabidanjebinabi |
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亚历山大凤蝶 yàlìshāndà fèngdié |
Alexandria's swallowtail |
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亞歷山大鳳蝶 Unknown |
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Птицекрылка Александры Ptitsekrylka Aleksandry |
Alexandria's birdwing |
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Alexandria’s vogelvlinder | Alexandria's birdwing |
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Vogelflügler Vogelfalter (NH) |
Derived from Vogelflügel (bird wing) "Bird butterfly", shortened from full name "Königin-Alexandra-Vogelfalter" |
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Mariposa alas de pájaro | Birdwing butterfly |
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Ornithoptère Troides alexandrae (NH) |
From genus name Former scientific name |
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Farfalla cobra Farfalla regina Alessandra (NH) |
Cobra butterfly (mistranslation; see Atlas Moth) Queen Alexandria's butterfly |
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