What Kind of Birds Eat the Blue Morpho?

The blue morpho is one of the largest species of butterfly with a wingspan 6 inches long. Covered in an iridescent blue, the underside of the blue morpho is a dull brown to help it camouflage while resting. The blue morpho has two antennae, two front wings and two back wings as well as a three-segmented body. It is not a particularly fast flier, however it has a few defensive strategies that are used against predators. The blue morpho has two main bird predators that prey upon it: the royal flycatcher and the jacamar.

  1. Habitat

    • The blue morpho is native to the Central and South American rain forests and is a neotropical species of butterfly. It spends most of its life on the forest floor and in lower shrubs foraging for rotten or fermenting fruit. In some cases, it will feed on the body fluids of decaying animals or fungi. It is primarily a nocturnal creature.

    Royal Flycatcher

    • The royal flycatcher is medium sized bird, about 6.5 inches in length, and is a fierce predator, often preying on the blue morpho butterfly. It hides in the dense foliage of the rain forest, darting out to snatch prey that is flying by or resting on a branch. Royal flycatchers have an important role in the rain forest because they control flying insect populations. Their diet consists of blue morpho butterflies and other small insects, which they hunt for and pluck out of the air. The royal flycatcher has elaborate colorful markings on its feathers and a brightly colored tuft of red feathers on its head.

    Rufous-Tailed Jacamar

    • The rufous-tailed jacamar is about 8 to 10 inches in length and is a brightly colored bird that regularly feeds on the blue morpho. Adult jacamars have white underparts with shiny metallic coppery green feathers on their backs. They have an elongated pointed beak, which is about 1.5 inches in length. They feed on a variety of different insects, but prefer butterflies like the blue morpho. After capturing the blue morpho, they beat it against a branch to incapacitate it and remove parts of the insect that they prefer not to eat, such as the legs or wings.

    Blue Morpho Defense

    • Despite its inability to outmaneuver or outrun bird predators, the blue morpho has a few camouflaging techniques that it implements to survive. Its first line of defense is the brownish coloring underneath the wings, which allows the species to blend into the forest floor surroundings. When the butterfly is resting, its wings fold upwards hiding the bright blue coloring on the top of the wings. The blue morpho butterfly also utilizes the two bronze colored spots on its wings to trick predators into thinking it is a larger animal.