Rajah Brooke's birdwing

"I caught a Raja Brooke butterfly! What a cute red collar!" —City Folk

"I caught a Raja Brooke butterfly! It's worth about as much as royalty!" —New Leaf

"I caught a Raja Brooke's birdwing! Nothing else I'd rajah be doing!" —New Horizons

Rajah Brooke's Birdwing Raja Brooke Butterfly
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Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Trogonoptera brookiana Family: Papilionidae - Butterflies
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown

The Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (アカエリアゲハ, Akaeriageha), referred to as the Raja Brooke Butterfly prior to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and also referred to as Raja B. Butterfly or Raja Brooke, is an uncommon type of tiger butterfly first introduced in City Folk. It is the only butterfly to be attracted to water, rather than plants. It is usually active from 8 AM to 5 PM.

Donating to the Museum

In City Folk

Upon donating a Raja Brooke to the museum, Blathers will say:

"...I must say, I'm quite impressed with your ability to catch such an impressive butterfly... The Raja Brooke butterfly, I must tell you, is one of the larger tiger butterflies. Naturally, its antennae and proboscis also rank as some of the largest around. Be not proud, vile beast! Your cute red collar and fancy name do not fool Blathers!"

It can be found in the bottom left area of the insect exhibit, flying around the pond.

In New Leaf

A Raja Brooke Butterfly inside the Museum in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Upon being donated, the butterfly can be found in the first room of the bug exhibit resting on flowers with the other butterflies. The exhibit has this to say about the Raja Brooke Butterfly:

"Raja Brooke butterflies have red heads and a red strip around their necks, giving the look of a collar. They are known to drink hot-spring water and often hang around water flowing up from the ground. While males are vibrantly green, females are much more commonly seen with brown wings."

In New Horizons

When donating to the museum, Blathers will say the following:

"Did you know that the repulsive Rajah Brooke's birdwing loves to luxuriate in hot-springs water? It's true! Hoo! The males gather in groups to sip the moisture while the females hide in jungle trees. And though they dress to impress in red and green, these fluttering fiends are not just stylish... They're also quite malicious! Their little larvae pack a poisonous punch that's supposed to protect them from predators... But I suspect more diabolical designs."

Further Information

A male Rajah Brooke butterfly.

The butterfly is actually a type of birdwing. It has distinctive black and electric-green markings, which are more prominent in the males, while the females have white markings. Both have a red head and another strip of red afterward, which is called a collar. It was named by Alfred R. Wallace in 1855, after James of Sarawak, the Rajah of Sarawark. It is also called the Rajah Brooke butterfly, sometimes mistaking the Animal Crossing spelling as a mistake - though both are acceptable. They can be found in the rainforests of Borneo and the Malaysian Peninsula, and is featured as the national butterfly of Malaysia. It is registered as being under protection.