Sunday, June 2, 2013

The Common Birdwing, Troides (Troides) helena cerberus (C. & R. Felder)

This is perhaps the commonest birdwing to be encountered on a forest clearing, jungle path or even villages in this vicinity. However, it is a lofty flyer and is often difficult to get a clear shot at it from a distance. Sometimes, when they do visit flowering shrubs in villages and can often be seen hovering over flowering trees in villages fringed by a wooded area (most villages in Raub falls into this category). The females are distinctively larger and has large submarginal black spots on its golden yellow hindwings.

Habitat indicator

RSP
WV
PG
VF
FTR
SC
LWDF
LWPF
LMEF
UMN
MN



 x

 x
 x




Frequency observation chart: (S marks the usual occurences, H marks an unusually high occurence, F for first record)
2013
Mac
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct



S1


S1


2013
2014
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mac
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct












2014
2015
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mac
Apr
May
June
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec








S3

S3



2016
Jan
Feb
Mac
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec





S1 
 S2






2017
Jan
Feb
Mac
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec













2018
Jan
Feb
Mac
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec













2019
Jan
Feb
Mac
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec














2020
Jan
Feb
Mac
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec














The above two photos of a female specimen were taken on 22 November 2009 in the late morning (with a pocket camera).

Below three photos are from a road accident victim: I was driving along a rural road when I noticed a large birdwing flapping its wounded wings on the tarmac. I stopped my car to rescue it from the tarmac from on-coming vehicles and took a few snapshots of it. I then placed it on a roadside bush for more pictures but judging by its injuries, it would not have made it as it was bleeding brown liquid from its thorax, both its antannae were missing and a wing was broken when I got to it. I gather it must have had a collision with a passing vehicle it having perhaps flown too low ( I have seen the same incident with a very large Wood Nymph, Idea lynceus at Pos Bertau but the insect survived as it was "pushed" away by the vehicle's air current).




*     *     *     *     *
Besides the males of the Rajah Brooke's Birdwing, other species of Troides normally do not puddle but on this unusual occasion, a solitary male was found puddling on a moist spot by the stream under the mid-day sun...



Above 3 photos 15 September 2013 @ 11:59

*     *     *     *     *
Females come to flowers whenever the occasion arise, especially if there is a flowering garden close by a forested parcel...

 11:49

11:49

 11:50

 11:50

11:50

 11:50

 11:50

 11:50

 11:50

11:51
Above photos 10 November 2019.

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