WINGED WONDER

The Magellan birdwing butterfly is named after, you guessed it, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, as mentioned in a 2016 Facebook post by Habitat Bohol Butterfly and Botanical Garden. Luckily, unlike Magellan, the Magellan birdwing butterflies continue to live and thrive on Philippine land.

Thankfully, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) tracked these huge beauties. In the Philippines, they are found in Cebu (cough, Magellan landed there, cough), Bohol, Leyte, Marinduque, Masbate, and Samar, to name a few specific places. They can also be found in Luzon, Mindanao, and Mindoro.

Outside the Philippines, however, you can also find them in what is known as Orchid Island in Taiwan, or Lanyu, as is the actual name of the place.