Birdwings are among the most collected insects in the world, and their size and colour keep demand high. Species differ widely in status: Ornithoptera alexandrae is Endangered and confined to a small area of Papua New Guinea, while Troides helena is widespread across tropical Asia and assessed as Least Concern.
CITES lists the birdwing genera as a group rather than case by case. Troides and Trogonoptera species, and most Ornithoptera, appear on Appendix II, requiring permits for international commercial trade; Ornithoptera alexandrae is on Appendix I, effectively banning it. Listing common species alongside rare ones is a look-alike provision: dried specimens of similar species are difficult for customs officers to distinguish, so regulating only the rare ones would be unenforceable.
This has an unusual consequence. Farming birdwings for export is legal under permit in several countries, and ranching schemes in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia have been used to give landowners an income from keeping forest and planting Aristolochia vines. How much conservation benefit these schemes actually deliver has been contested.