The Common Yellow Swallowtail is a species of butterflies that are known for their large size and pronounced ornamental patterns. Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are always yellow, while females may be yellow … Very easy to be recognized, the species is spread across many parts of the world in 37 recognized subspecies. While the male tiger swallowtail butterfly flaunts yellow and black stripes like that of a tiger, the female may be darker than the male or similar to it. Common Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly factzoo.com. Abundance of tiger swallowtails is probably due to its versatile feeding habits and wide range of host plants, where the female lay their eggs. The Tiger Swallowtail is a beautiful, large butterfly, usually in the range of 3.5" - 5.5", easily identified by its black "tiger stripes". Papilio machaon, the Old World swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae.The butterfly is also known as the common yellow swallowtail or simply the swallowtail (a common name applied to all members of the family, but this species was the first to be given the … Swallowtail butterfly, (subfamily Papilioninae), any of a group of butterflies in the family Papilionidae (order Lepidoptera).The swallowtail butterflies (Papilio) are found worldwide except in the Arctic.They are named for the characteristic tail-like extensions of the hindwings, although many species are tailless.