# Paris Peacock Swallowtail

*Papilio paris*

The dazzling metallic green-blue patches on its wings contain no pigment at all; the color is produced structurally by microscopic scales that refract light.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Papilionidae › Papilio
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Subtropical and tropical moist lowland and montane forests
- **Diet:** Adults drink nectar from flowering plants; caterpillars feed on host plants in the Rutaceae (citrus) family.
- **Range:** India, Nepal, Myanmar, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
- **Size:** Wingspan of 8 to 14 cm (3.1 to 5.5 inches).
- **Lifespan:** 2 to 4 weeks as an adult, with a total life cycle of about 2 months.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Deforestation, heavy pesticide use in agricultural borders, and localized over-collection for the specimen trade.
- **Safe to approach?:** This butterfly is completely harmless. Observe it quietly from a short distance as it feeds on nectar or mud-puddles. Do not attempt to catch or touch it, as its wings are highly fragile and the scales can rub off easily, hindering its ability to fly.

## About

Papilio paris , the Paris peacock , is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/b331914e-de96-4aac-ae7a-073d02bea4aa
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/146651
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio paris
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/275496537/medium.png (Andrew Lai, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.