Kolhapur: The largest butterfly in the country, the Southern Birdwing, has been found at the Radhanagari Sanctuary in Kolhapur district. It was located on Thursday by Forest Department staff and tourists. In a clip, the butterfly is seen moving around in the garden, its body yellow and its wings black-blue. According to researchers, the Birdwing, also known as the Sahyadri Birdwing, ranges anywhere between 150 and 200 mm in length.
The Southern Birdwing falls under the Swallowtail sub-group, which come under the Papilionidae family. Members of this group of butterflies are known to inhabit every continent on earth except Antarctica. Till date, 55 different types of butterflies have been located in Radhanagari's butterfly sanctuary. The 'grass jewel', the smallest butterfly in the nation, was notably also discovered from this park.
