Butterflies are stunning insects you can discover in a wide variety of habitats across the globe.
People frequently employ butterflies as symbols in works of art and writing. Sadly, some animals also eat butterflies.
Although different kinds of animals eat butterflies, none of them seek them out as their primary food source.
Butterflies only account for a negligible portion of the meals of almost all predators. Most of the time, they pass away independently and decay on the ground.
Butterflies are not especially hardy and lack little protection against the climate or predators that may threaten them.
After they have passed away, scavengers such as ants will consume them.
List of Animals that Eat Butterflies
1. Eastern Fence Lizard
The eastern fence lizard is the first animal on our list that eats butterflies. This common lizard inhabits the eastern regions of the United States.
They can appear brown or gray, and their backs have black or white patches. As part of their diet, these lizards consume many insects, including butterflies.
Although they will eat other prey, butterflies comprise much of their diet. It has been hypothesized that, on average, butterflies make up 50% of these lizards’ meals.
2. Fire Ant
The southern regions of the United States are home to a species of ant known as the fire ant. These ants can be either red or black and can sting unpleasantly.
Fire ants are known to consume a wide variety of foods, some of which include different types of insects, spiders, and even lizards and frogs.
3. German Wasp
The German wasp is a huge black species found all over Europe. It has a terrible sting and is notorious for aggressively defending its area.
The German wasp feeds on various insects, including butterflies, as its primary food source.
They will use their venom to immobilize their prey and then transport it back to the nest to feed it to their young.
4. Gila Monster
The Gila monster is a giant reptile that lives in the deserts of the southwestern United States. It is one of the animals that eat butterflies.
It is also known as the Gila lizard. Its body is black and orange, and its tongue is forked.
As part of its diet, the Gila monster consumes many species, such as lizards, rodents, birds, and insects.
Butterflies are one type of prey they hunt, although they are not their primary source of nutrition.
5. Golden Toad
The golden toad is a species found in the rainforests of Central and South America. This toad is quite tiny and orange in color.
It mostly consumes insects, such as butterflies, as its food source. The golden toad is in danger due to the destruction of its habitat and the spread of illness.
6. Green Darner Dragonfly
The green darner dragonfly is a huge, predatory dragonfly that inhabits portions of Europe and North America.
It is found in both regions. Its body is green, and its head has two enormous blue eyes.
The green darner dragonfly feeds on many insects, including butterflies, as its primary food source.
Their long, slender legs allow them to grab insects out of the air or pluck them off leaves. They do this frequently.
7. Green Iguana
Iguanas are huge tropical lizards found in Central and South America and are among the animals that eat butterflies.
The green iguana is native to both regions. Its body is a vivid shade of green, and its tail is very long.
The green iguana consumes many different plant parts, including the leaves, flowers, and fruits of the plants it consumes.
Butterflies are one type of prey they hunt, although they are not their primary source of nutrition.
8. Monkeys
There are many species of monkeys, each with distinct physical characteristics and distribution over the globe.
Monkeys are famous for their wit and always being up for a good time. While most monkeys eat fruit, they also eat insects, especially butterflies.
Certain species of monkeys would save food by hoarding butterflies for consumption at a later time.
9. Oriole
Orioles are animals that eat butterflies and a songbird species native to both the northern and southern regions of the Americas.
They are well-known for their plumage’s brilliant colors and the lovely sounds they sing.
Orioles consume a wide variety of insects for food, including the butterfly. They can seize butterflies while they are in flight and then consume them.
10. Parasitic Fly
Many species of parasitic flies seek butterflies as their hosts to feed on. The larvae of these flies bore their way into the butterfly’s body and eat it from the inside out.
This almost always results in the butterfly’s perishing. Flies that carry parasites are common in many regions, including North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
11. Snakes
There are a wide variety of species of snakes, but they are all considered predators.
Snakes will feed on a wide variety of food, such as frogs, lizards, birds, and rodents, among other animals.
Although butterflies are not among snakes’ top choices for food, these reptiles will consume them if they encounter them.
12. Sparrows
Unsurprisingly, sparrows are on this list of animals that eat butterflies. These small birds are brown and reside throughout the continent of North America.
They can be recognized by their song and by the fact that they construct their nests in open locations.
Sparrows eat many different kinds of insects, including butterflies. They usually capture them by swooping down to the ground and seizing them as they pass by in the air.
13. Warblers
These birds are a family of tiny songbirds widespread across North America and some regions of Europe. Singers can be identifiable by their distinct singing.
Their plumage and songs are easily recognizable as unique to the species. Warblers consume a wide variety of insects, including the butterfly.
They hunt by hovering over vegetation or flowers and seizing their prey with sharp beaks.
14. Western Toad
The Western toad is a species of toad native to the western regions of the United States and Canada.
This toad is huge and brown. Its skin is covered in warts, and spends most of its time underground or buried beneath rocks.
The Western toad eats several different kinds of insects, including butterflies. To digest their food more easily, they consume the legs and wings of their prey.
15. American Toad
One of the most common species of toad in the United States, the American toad can be discovered in various habitats across the country.
They can appear dark or green in hue, and their skin is pockmarked all over. Toads consume a wide variety of foods, the most common of which are spiders, insects, and other small animals.
Although they will devour Lepidoptera if they are accessible, this component of their diet does not make up a significant portion of their typical fare. Toads consume less than one percent of their food in the form of butterflies.
16. Giant Hornet
The Asian giant hornet holds the record for being the largest hornet in the world. It has a wing span of over three inches and can grow as long as two inches.
This insect is native to East Asia and consumes a wide variety of food, including other insects, spiders, and even small rodents.
However, they are among the animals that eat butterflies and will consume them if given the opportunity; this diet component is not one of their top choices.
17. Asian Hornet
The Asian hornet is a huge insect that resembles a wasp and is native to East Asia.
Its habitat is in East Asia. It can appear black or brown, with yellow stripes running over it.
This insect consumes a wide range of prey, from insects and spiders to small rodents, eggs, and larvae.
18. Black House Ant
You can discover ants of the kind known as blackhouse ants in many different regions of the world.
They acquire their name because they construct their nests in shady areas, such as behind rocks or in logs, and this is also where they do so.
These ants will consume nearly anything, including other insects, spiders, and even small mammals, if they can get their hands on them.
Although they will eat butterflies if they are readily available, this diet component is not one of their top choices.
19. Black-Eared Mouse
The black-eared mouse is a small rodent that lives in areas of Asia and Africa. It eats butterflies.
Mice of this type can seem brown or gray and have black spots on the tops of their ears.
They consume a wide variety of foods, some of which include spiders, insects, and other small animals.
Although they will eat butterflies if they are accessible, this component of their diet does not make up a significant portion of their typical fare. The mouse consumes less than one percent of its food in the form of butterflies.
20. Bullet Ant
The bullet ant is a huge black species found in the rainforests of South and Central America.
Its name comes from the excruciating pain that its sting causes, which is so severe that it is comparable to being shot with a bullet.
The bullet ant consumes a wide range of insects, including different species of ants, termites, and even the flesh of young mammals.
Even though they will consume butterflies, this food source is not one of their top choices.
21. Cane Toad
The species’ toads are native to Central and South America. They are quite huge and brown, and their skin has warts.
Cane toads consume a wide variety of foods, the most common of which are spiders, insects, and other tiny animals.
22. Chameleons
Although chameleons have not been observed feeding on butterflies in particular, they will ingest any insect that comes their way.
Because of their long tongues, which can reach up to two feet long, they can seize their prey from great heights or distances in the trees.
23. Common Toad
One of the types of animals that eat butterflies is a toad species in the United States; the American toad can thrive in various habitats across the country.
They can appear dark or green in hue, and their skin is pockmarked all over.
Toads consume a wide variety of foods, the most common of which are spiders, insects, and other small animals.
24. Common Wasp
The common wasp is a predatory insect in various climates and environments worldwide. It is yellow and black in hue and has a stinger.
Wasps consume a wide variety of foods, some of which include spiders, insects, and other small animals.
Although they will eat butterflies if available, this is not a regular portion of their diet.
25. Common Whitetail Dragonfly
The last mention on our list of animal-eating butterflies is the common whitetail dragonfly.
There is a huge species of dragonfly in the United States known as the Whitetail Dragonfly, which can be found in many different regions.
They might appear green or brown, and their wing span can reach up to four inches long.
As predators, dragonflies consume many insects, including mosquitoes, flies, and other small bugs.
