Moth Identification Help

This giant moth landed on my hummingbird feeder today (Aug 7) and has been there for over an hour. I think it's a Black Witch which in Mexico and most Central American countries is a harbinger of death. I was shocked for 2 reasons. The first is that most moths, especially of this size, are night feeders. Secondly, this morning when I took out my trash, there were 2 police cars 2 houses west of me and a gringo woman telling the police "I think I'm having a heart attack."

Can anyone confirm my identification of this moth?

WDBarr wrote:This giant moth landed on my hummingbird feeder today (Aug 7) and has been there for over an hour. I think it's a Black Witch which in Mexico and most Central American countries is a harbinger of death. I was shocked for 2 reasons. The first is that most moths, especially of this size, are night feeders. Secondly, this morning when I took out my trash, there were 2 police cars 2 houses west of me and a gringo woman telling the police "I think I'm having a heart attack."

Can anyone confirm my identification of this moth?

"harbinger of death"? The batrees in my Ouija board are dead, let me check my taro cards.
I don't know if I should be laughing with you or at you.

harbinger of death... maybe if you ate it bon appetit

I'll have some of whatever you are smoking.

Black Witch???
In Irish they are called "banshees" .....not sure about English or Spanish.
....and they usually are right on the money.

They're called tecolotitos or mariposas negras and the superstition about them being harbingers of death is real.

viajero wrote:They're called tecolotitos here and the superstition about them being harbingers of death is real.

Nuthin a Big Fly Swatter couldn't fix ......

hockables wrote:

viajero wrote:They're called tecolotitos here and the superstition about them being harbingers of death is real.

Nuthin a Big Fly Swatter couldn't fix    ......      

A couple of years ago there was one on our terraza and nobody died...

They are Chingado Mariposas Negras

gm

Cuando el tecolote canta,muere el indio,no sera cierto pero sucede.

All I'm saying is that in the years I have been here none of these mariposas negras have ever landed on one of my hummingbird feeders and stayed for hours. Coincidence or not that the lady down the block thought she was having a heart attack...I don't know. Itollefs...your Ouija board was obviously not "hecho en Mexico" and maybe you should be careful about laughing at me. My 90 year old Mexicana vecino crossed herself when I showed it to her. As for Slainte39 and Viajero thank you for not trying to use droll humor...except for your flyswatter comment Viajero!

WDBarr wrote:.except for your flyswatter comment Viajero!

I never said anything about flyswatters,I was just confirming what you said about the superstition..

So sorry Viajero...that was Hockables!!!

No problem WDBarr.
You might want to light a veladora de la Virgen just to be on the safe side..

Si, es tambien, gracias!

It's a moth. Not Donald Trump.
Now that's a harbinger of death.

Palomita=Moth Also Palomilla

Mariposa= Butterfly

WDBarr wrote: My 90 year old Mexicana vecino crossed herself when I showed it to her.

My gosh, that changes, well, nothing at all, but have a nice day.

“The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it, cripple it, and make it forever infamous and ridiculous. Is it, perchance, cherished by persons who should know better? Then their folly should be brought out into the light of day, and exhibited there in all its hideousness until they flee from it, hiding their heads in shame."

H.L. Mencken

gringomojado wrote:Palomita=Moth Also Palomilla

Mariposa= Butterfly

So that's the crunchy things in my popcorn. More protein I guess.

WDBarr wrote:All I'm saying is that in the years I have been here none of these mariposas negras have ever landed on one of my hummingbird feeders and stayed for hours.

How many years have you been here? I'm surprised you haven't seen them before. They can be HUGE, and certainly sound like aircraft when they're fluttering around your head, or up against a window nearby.

Other than that, I think I'll take the superstition and some of the Spanish Language teachings in this thread for what they are worth.  

I once mistook one for a bird. It was flying high up in the house trying to get out through the skylights and I could not believe the size of that butterfly, it was a little spooky it was so big.

Mothman....?

Well this one is new to me, Should I be worried that I see them all the time and have for many years? Seriously?
Just for fun, I Googled Mexican superstitions and they have more than one doozer on the books, as do all cultures. Here is just one example:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alejandroalba/superstitions-mexicans-believe#.cs4O7a78N2

I guess this is why they have that other saying "superstition is revolution against evolution".