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Cairns Birdwing
Ornithoptera euphorion
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumArthropoda (Arthropods)
- ClassInsecta (Insects)
- OrderLepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- FamilyPapilionidae (Swallowtails and Parnassians)
- GenusOrnithoptera (Birdwings)
- SpeciesOrnithoptera euphorion (Cairns Birdwing)
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
74 Verified sightings at Daintree National Park From 2019 to 2026
74 In 1 park
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Cairns Birdwing
Ornithoptera euphorion, the Cairns birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly endemic to Queensland, and is Australia's largest endemic butterfly species. Other common names include Cooktown birdwing and northern birdwing. The names Cairns and Cooktown in its common name reference the Australian cities in the region where this butterfly is found.
The wingspan can be up to 15 cm (5.9 in) in females, and 12.5 cm (4.9 in) in males. A closely allied species, the New Guinea or Priam's birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) reaches 19 cm (7.5 in) and is the largest butterfly species found in Australia, but it is not endemic. O. euphorion is quite closely related to O. richmondia, differing by its greater size and more extensive green markings in the male.
Males have a predominantly black upper wing with emerald green flashes, however the female lacks the green colouring, having a plain black upper wing with white patches. The female is the larger of the two sexes. There was a spectacular and rare genetic mutation of this butterfly, where single aberrant female produced less than 40 aberrant progeny. The females were pale instead of dark, and the males were golden instead of green... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Cairns Birdwing in Daintree National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Closest Relatives at Daintree National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Cairns Birdwing in Daintree National Park?
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Cairns Birdwing sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 74 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 20th most-seen of the 856 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Cairns Birdwing in Daintree National Park?
April
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Cairns Birdwing in Daintree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month.
What time of day is best to see a Cairns Birdwing?
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cairns Birdwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Where else can you see a Cairns Birdwing?
Only Daintree National Park, in our data
Daintree National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Cairns Birdwing sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Which relatives of the Cairns Birdwing live in Daintree National Park?
Same family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Cairns Birdwing that you can see in Daintree National Park (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Ulysses Butterfly (about 30%), Tailed Jay (about 20%) and Orchard Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Cairns Birdwing sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cairns Birdwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Daintree National Park (74 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
