India GO
Butterfly · Troides minos
Southern birdwing
IUCN LC · Least concern
India's largest butterfly, a Western Ghats endemic with a wingspan around 14-19 cm: black forewings and broad golden-yellow hindwings, with a red head and body.
👀 How to recognise it
Its flight is slow and gliding, unlike any other big butterfly here. Look near Aristolochia vines, the only plants its caterpillars eat.
Where to see it
Bengaluru
Declared the state butterfly of Karnataka in 2017, making Karnataka the third Indian state to name one, after Maharashtra and Uttarakhand.
Lalbagh Botanical Garden · Turahalli Forest
Gokarna
Declared the state butterfly of Karnataka in 2017. The Ghat forest behind Gokarna is its real home, far more than any city garden.
Yana Rocks & Bhairaveshwara Cave Temple (in season) · Vibhuti Falls (in season)