{"id":11245,"date":"2022-05-26T20:48:45","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T01:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=11245"},"modified":"2022-08-16T11:03:12","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T16:03:12","slug":"black-vs-tiger-swallowtails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/black-vs-tiger-swallowtails\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Tell The Difference Between Black And Tiger Swallowtails?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tiger swallowtails are usually quite easy to distinguish from other butterflies; but did you know that some of them are black instead of their classic yellow coloring? In this article, we\u2019ll talk about how to tell the difference between black and tiger swallowtails, especially when you\u2019re comparing a black tiger to a regular black swallowtail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Tiger Swallowtail?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"What
Dark phase of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tiger swallowtails belong to the Papilio<\/em> genus of butterflies. There are four different species in this genus, all of which look remarkably alike but are found in different regions of North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most tiger swallowtails are pale to bright yellow in color, <\/strong>with black stripes on their wings and bodies. Females are larger than males and have a swath of blue across the bottom of their lower wings; both males and females have small orange markings on their wings as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, some tiger swallowtail females have a genetic mutation that replaces their yellow coloring with black.<\/strong> These butterflies, called dark form tiger swallowtails, are all black, sometimes with noticeable darker black stripes, and blue swaths along the lower parts of their wings; they may also have pale yellow spots along the edges of their wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger swallowtails are one of the largest butterflies in North America, as their wingspan can grow as wide as five inches. They are a common sight throughout the United States, Canada, and even parts of Mexico.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger swallowtail caterpillars eat a variety of host plants<\/a> depending on what\u2019s available in their region; some eat the leaves of tulip trees and magnolias, others eat wild cherry and rose, still others eat cottonwood, aspen, and willow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Black Swallowtail?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Black swallowtails belong to the same genus as tiger swallowtails, Papilio<\/em>. They are found widespread throughout many areas of North America, and their territories often overlap with those of tiger swallowtails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black swallowtails have almost the same coloring as tiger swallowtails, but the patterns on their body and wings are much different. <\/strong>As the name suggests, black swallowtails are mostly black; they have rows of horizontal yellow spots on their wings and vertical yellow spots on their bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both male and female black swallowtails may have swaths of blue along their bottom wings, though this blue marking is more prominent in females. Both male and females have a noticeable orange eye-like spot on each of their lower wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black swallowtails are generally smaller than tiger swallowtails, though they are still fairly large with a wingspan up to 4 inches. Females are typically larger than males.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black swallowtails are sometimes called parsley swallowtails because their caterpillars mostly eat plants in the parsley family. Some of these plants include parsley, carrot greens, and Queen Anne\u2019s lace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Black Swallowtails Look Like Tiger Swallowtails?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Do
Black Swallowtails<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As noted above, black and tiger swallowtails have similar coloring but very different wing and body patterns. Tiger swallowtails tend to be more yellow in color, with black, blue, and orange markings; black swallowtails are more black in color, with yellow, blue, and orange markings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, to the casual observer, dark form tiger swallowtails may look very similar to black swallowtails because they are primarily black, and their darker black stripes may or may not be visible.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can clearly see the similarity of appearance in the side by side pictures here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black Vs. Tiger Swallowtail: How to Tell the Difference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, how can you tell whether that butterfly you saw nectaring in your flower garden was a black swallowtail or a dark form tiger swallowtail? Fortunately, there are several ways to tell these two butterflies apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n