They are generally brown in their overall coloration, with two bands of white straddling the middle of the upper surfaces of the wings, and a patch of orange on the tips of their forewings.

The larvae of Doxocopa pavon feed on the leaves of hackberries, while the adults are primarily nectar-feeders.

Its type specimen was collected from Fernardina de Jagua, Cuba (now the city of Cienfuegos).

[3] The subspecies was also collected by the French lepidopterist Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1870 and described as the species Chlorippe mentas.

[9] The upper surfaces of the wings of the male of the species are predominantly brown overlaid with a vividly iridescent bluish purple.

[9] The female of the species is also predominantly brown on the upper surfaces of the wings, but it lacks the purple coloration of the males.

[9] The females of D. pavon also closely resemble both sexes of some species of the unrelated genus Adelpha (sisters).

While the white bands in A. bredowii, A. californica, and A. eulalia are broken into spots on the forward edge of their forewings.

[5][14] They are generally found in tropical and subtropical forests (including rainforests) at altitudes of about 200 to 1,000 m (660 to 3,280 ft) above sea level.

[8][14] They can also be commonly found in sunlit areas in forests engaging in mud-puddling on moist mineral-laden soil or rock, rotting fruit, carrion, or bird droppings.

[10] The males are the most often encountered, as they have a habit of perching on trees in full sunlight (especially at midday) waiting for females.