A staring eye
Each hindwing has a big yellow-ringed eyespot underneath. It may make a bird think twice, or draw its peck away from the body.
The Amazon · Butterflies and moths
Owl butterfly
Caligo
A very large, brown butterfly with a huge eyespot on each hindwing, like the eye of an owl.
- Size
- Wingspan 13 to 16cm
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rainforest and plantations from Mexico to the Amazon
Flaps after you, low and slow. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Owl butterfly
Good to know
Six things about the owl butterfly
It flies at dusk
It is active for a short time at dawn and at dusk, when few birds are hunting.
Fond of bananas
It feeds on rotting fruit. On banana plantations its caterpillars can become a pest.
Large caterpillars
The caterpillar grows to fifteen centimetres long, and several rest together in a row along a leaf.
Blue on top
The upper side of the wings has a dusky blue or purple sheen that shows only in flight.
A weak flier
It flies only a few metres at a time, from one tree trunk to the next.
The real thing
Photos of the owl butterfly
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Look on shaded tree trunks at eye level, where it rests with wings closed, and at fallen fruit towards evening.
How to help
It does well wherever there is forest edge and fruit. It is one of the stars of butterfly houses.
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