BENGALURU: The state government declared Southern Birdwing as the state butterfly. The butterfly has red and yellow on its wings that are also the colours of the Kannada flag.
The forest, environment and ecology department issued a notification recently declaring the Southern Bird Wing as the state butterfly with immediate effect.
The scientific name of Southern Bird Wing is Troides Minos. Though it is not an endangered species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recommended that the nummbers of these butterflies be monitored.
This butterfly is seen up to a height of 3,000 ft in the Western Ghats limits. It can also be found in evergreen forests, deciduous forests, dry bush forest and agricultural land.