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Sticker of Statira sulphur
Bug card No. 4163 of 4,939

Statira sulphur

Phoebis statira
Eats: Nectar and pollenButterfliesRainforests and jungles6 legs

The statira sulphur is a big yellow butterfly from the warm parts of America. It is famous for its long journeys, when huge numbers fly together across the tropics. It loves to drink from red and orange flowers.

Lives in
From southern Florida and Texas down to Brazil and Argentina
Wingspan
6 to 7.9 cm (2.4 to 3.1 in)
Top speed
about 17 km/h (11 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
The butterflies drink nectar, mostly from red or orange flowers. The caterpillars eat leaves of plants in the pea family.
For real!Photo of Statira sulphur
Picture by Didier Descouens. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How wide are its wings?

Statira sulphur wings about 7.9 cm tip to tip (3.1 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
wings as wide as 2.5 toy building brickscould fly across a whole football pitch in 22 seconds

How big is Statira sulphur compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

The male's wings are pale yellow on the outer half and bright lemon yellow on the inner half.

2

Females are paler, from light yellow to greenish white, with black wing edges.

3

Scientists study it to learn how butterflies find their way when they migrate.

4

It is especially common in the Amazon rainforest.

5

Underneath, its wings are shiny pale green or white.

you asked

Most asked questions about Statira sulphur

?Does the statira sulphur migrate?

Yes. It is famous for its big migrations in the tropical parts of America.

?What does the statira sulphur eat?

The butterflies drink nectar from red or orange flowers. The caterpillars eat leaves of pea family plants.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Phoebis statira
Group
Butterflies
Family
Pieridae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Pieridae
Lives on
North America, South America

Where the facts come from

  1. Aphrissa statira (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Didier Descouens. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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Also at home here: Rainforests and jungles

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