There are 330 varieties of butterflies in Kerala, to add to the amazing beauty of the fauna here. Of these, 37 butterfly species are endemic and the rest are migratory in nature.

Tailed Jay (Graphium Agamemnon) occurs in the heavy rainfall areas of Kerala. It is also common in low elevations and gardens of both the villages and the towns.

The upper side of the adult butterfly is brownish black with variable number of bright green spots and stripes. The tail is stumpy in males and long in females. The underside is pale brown with black and red spots in the hind wings. Wingspan is 85-100mm.

Tailed Jays are very active butterflies. They are extremely fast and seldom rest on flowers to feed themselves. Its major host tree is the Mast plant, locally known as Ashoka tree.

Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, China, Australia and the Solomon islands are some of the other places where they are found, apart from India.

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