Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few meters at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place.

Some species are of uncertain placement with regard to these groups, however: The underwing pattern is highly cryptic.

[5] According to the Batesian mimicry theory the pattern on the wings of Caligo resemble the head of a predator like a lizard or an amphibian.

[6] In some butterflies, particularly Satyrinae (such as the gatekeeper butterfly and the grayling), it has been shown that ocelli (eyespots) serve as a decoy, diverting bird attack away from the vulnerable body, and towards the outer part of the hindwings or the forewing tip.

Research by Martin Stevens et al. (2008), however, suggests that eyespots are not a form of mimicry and do not deter predators because they look like eyes.