owl butterfly

[ oul buht-er-flahy ]

noun

1. any of several very large nymphalid butterflies of the genus Caligo, native to the forests of Mexico, Central America, and South America, having a prominent eyespot resembling an owl's eye on each hindwing: its caterpillar is a pest to banana and sugar cane plantations.

Word History and Origins

Origin of owl butterfly¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her breakthrough moment involved an owl butterfly, not a moth.

From Washington Post

We recognized the insomniac eye of the owl butterfly and the tiger stripes of the longwing, the saturated Rothko hues of the cattle heart and the stained-glass design of the atlas moth.

From Washington Post

When you watch an owl butterfly as big as your face open and close its spotted wings; or you go to open your water bottle and discover a frog the size of an M&M sitting on its lid.

From New York Times