Ornithoptera priamus
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[Photo] King Priamos’ Birdwing, Ornithoptera priamus pronomus male. Lockerbie Scrub Cape York Peninsula Australia 25 August 1975. Date 13 March 2007. Author Robert Nash Curator of Entomology Ulster Museum

The common green birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) is widespread from New Guinea east through the Solomon Islands and south to Australia.

Variation
To the West male O. priamus takes on a blue rather than green colouration (subspecies urvilleana, miokensis, and caelestis).

Other subspecies include demophanes (Trobiand), poseidon (New Guinea ) , admiralitatis (Admiralty Islands), arruana (Aru), hecuba (Kei Island), cassandra (Yapen) bornemanni (New Britain), teucrus, and the nominate race from Ceram. A full list is provided by Ngypal. As in other species of the genus Ornithoptera, the females are larger and less vividly coloured than the males, them being mainly blackish or dark brown with patterns in pale brown, yellow or white.

Threats
Some subspecies are under intense environmental pressure and are in danger (e.g. miokensis and boisduvali). The Australian populations (subspecies richmondia, euphorion, malcapinei and pronomus) are vulnerable to habitat destruction.

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