Ridged carrion beetle

Description:

All black, with strong ridges on elytra. Ventral side of elytra are a bright, metallic blue, shining in flight. Elytra are held up in the manner of a butterfly's wings while in flight. This gives a protean, "disappearing" effect as the beetle lands. The bright blue color is reminiscent of the Pipevine Swallowtail mimicry complex. (information from BugGuide)

Habitat:

Suburban backyard

Notes:

We have several bird nests in and around the backyard and every once in a while I will find a dead fledgling. As I went to move this particular bird carcass before the dogs got to it, I had to peek and see what was on it. I'm a carrion beetle fan, you see. :-) It had the usual flies milling around and maggots squirming in and out of openings in the flesh. As I rolled it over, there was a lone carrion beetle gripping onto the feathers. Of course I ran inside to get my camera! I didn't get great shots of it but I think I captured enough to narrow down an ID. If you look at the final image, you can see a small touch of blue coloration on the beetle's side that's mentioned in the description above.