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 […]
How can chocolate save butterflies?
There are nearly 600 species of swallowtails and birdwings across the world, but sadly, many of these spectacular butterflies are under threat. One of the biggest challenges they face is destruction of their habitat, often due to deforestation, drainage and intensive agriculture. But agro-ecotourism projects which put the community at the heart of their work […]
PNG Birdwing Project links to Norfolk Swallowtail
BBC News: East of England launched an excellent broadcast from Martin Barber, showing how the new Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Project in Papua New Guinea can develop techniques to help other papilionids as well as demonstrate positive cooperation between conservationists and the oil palm industry – Click this title to see the video.