How birds and butterflies share similar behaviours, colours, and life strategies
Why butterflyers and birders love the hunt for rarities
How to spot mimicry in action—both in song and in wings
Why some butterflies are the "LBJs" of the insect world
Fascinating facts about parasitism, migration, and camouflage
Course Content
Why butterfly-bird parallels?
Introduction to Butterfly-bird Parallels
04:18
What sort of connections can you see between birds and butterflies?
Colours
Colours are one of the most important areas of parallels between birds and butterflies. Here we look at some examples.
Colours – Blues, Reds, and Yellows
07:56
Iridescence, Purples, and ‘Seared Eyeball Syndrome’ Species
07:43
Colour parallels between birds and butterflies
Black birds and butterflies, and ‘LBJ’s
Now we look at some difficult to identify birds and butterflies – black ones, and ‘LBJ’s. An 'LBJ' is a 'little brown job', but in butterflies it can also mean 'little blue job'.
Black Butterflies, Black Birds, and the World of LBJs
09:07
Black creatures and ‘LBJ’s’
Behaviour and appearance
Aspects of behaviour that birds and butterflies have in common are skulking, mimicry, parasitism, and migration.
Skulking, mimicry, parasitism, and migration
16:34
Behavioural parallels
Flight behaviour, naming parallels, and rarities
Another aspect of behaviour that has butterfly-bird parallels are soaring and perching. Some birds and butterflies (or moths) share names. And 'twitching' rarities is something that both birders and butterfly watchers do.
