Two species of Swallowtail endemic to Jamaica: The Jamaican Giant Swallowtail or Homerus Swallowtail (Pterourus homerus) and the Blue Kite Swallowtail (Protographium marcellinus) are both in need of additional protection. Two recent papers published in May 2025 in Tropical Lepidoptera Research by Thomas Turner and Vaughan Turland have highlighted the continued threats to these two […]
Butterflies declining at an alarming rate across United States
A recently conducted assessment of butterfly trends across the contiguous United States from 2000 to 2020 found declines at every scale: reductions in total numbers of butterflies, falling species richness, and large decreases in many individual species.
SBBT award grant to filmmaker to highlight the Glories of Bhutan
In August 2023, the Swallowtail & Birdwing Butterfly Trust provided a grant to wildlife documentary maker, Sonam Dorji, to produce a short film on the Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii) and Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis ludlowi). Sonam, who is based in Bhutan, discovered a site in 2020 where both species fly in the same location, something […]
Second “Saving Swallowtails” Conference planned
SBBT’s much-acclaimed global online conference is back. Our first conference in June 2021 focussed mainly on the Papilioninae. This time, we’ll be exploring the Baroniinae (the Baronia) and the Parnassiinae (apollos and allies). The meeting will once again take us on an online world tour, with expert papers from the Americas, Europe and Asia. The […]
Réunion’s endemic Papilio phorbanta protected under CITES
The vulnerable Réunion endemic “Papillon la Pature” has been protected under CITES Appendix III. Alongside conservation efforts on the ground, preventing illegal or unsustainable trade in this way could provide new hope and prevent further decline of this beautiful short-tailed swallowtail. The species has been extinct in the Seychelles since 1890 and, despite being protected […]
