The Hummingbird Hawk-Moth
By Rani Iyer
Get ready to sight this moth!
The sun had just snuggled into the hills when I heard a strange buzz. An insect was dashing among the flowers of Clerodendron and Ixora ( See glossary ) at high speed. For many days after, I waited near the bush at dusk to net this creature. When it did fall into my net, it happened on a cloudy morning!
How to Identify a Hawk moth
( Scientific name Hawk moths, Macroglossum stellaratum, in Latin belong to the family Sphingidae. )
Unlike most moths, which are active in the dusk and night (nocturnal), the hawk moths, are active during the day too! (diurnal). The hawk moth can be easily identified with its characteristic flight pattern, which is so similar to that of the hummingbird.
It darts between flowers at high speed, then remains stationary while feeding. It feeds on nectar from flowers with a long proboscis. ( And I thought that moths did not have a functional proboscis like butterflies!) It feeds on flowers rich in nectar, such as Jasminum, Buddleja, Nicotiana, Barleria, Jacaranda and Syringa, ) which are their favourite. They repeatedly probe each bloom before darting quickly to the next.
( In fact, very few moths feed on rich nectar, the way hawk moths do. Most moths feed on sap, rotting fruits and other liquids that are products of decomposition. )
Where are Hawk Moths found
About 500 species of Hawk Moths are known, from the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Wind currents carry those from the temperate regions in late summer to Japan and the Russian far east. In winter, they migrate as far south as southern India and the Gambia in Africa. In colder regions, the adult moths hibernate in the winter months in caves, rocky crags, holes in trees or sheds, and even empty homes.
Life Cycle
The life of this remarkable creature begins as a small spherical egg, measuring approximately 1 mm. After 6 to 8 days, small green caterpillars emerge from the eggs. Caterpillars eat voraciously. With plenty of food and sunshine, they pupate into plum coloured pupa within 20 days. The species breeds 2 or 3 times a year, and female moths lay up to 200 eggs at a time.
You could encounter this creature in your own backyard or in the nearby park during dusk! They are also attracted to lights and can be collected in light traps. Watch out for them!
Hints:
Finding and identifying a new species requires patience and persistence. The chances of spotting this species are higher at dusk, or on a cool, cloudy morning (not too windy). They fly fast and feed on nectar of Jasmine, and weeds like Lantana, and other tubular flowers. Monsoon and later are best-suited seasons for the observations. Your reports of sighting, records of food plants, and other data including pictures can be sent as feedback to the site. We will compile these and publish the observations.
Last updated on :7/8/2003
User's Comments
Eric:
I wanted to report an amazing sighting of the Hummingbird Hawk Moth! We saw two of them here in Vancouver, Washington. I have lived here for 30 years and my parents even longer and it was the first time we have ever seen this incredible insect. I have researced it and I understand it mostly lives in warm climates so what was it doing in the Pacific Northwest? I really hope I will see them again and I have some great photos to remember it by. Has anyone else seen them in this area?
Editor
I sighted Humming bird hawk moth in 1999 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In 2001 I saw them in Saskatoon. They are very abundant in Pacific Northwest. They travel by the wind!
Maria La valle:
I live in Delaware. Last week I saw the most amazing insect I have ever seen. At first I thought it was a small hummingbird but it had a proboscis and transparent wings. It darted from flower to flower of a weeping verbena and ignored the lantana and petunias. It was banded yellow and black.. I was told by a friend that this was a "hawk moth", but when I looked up photos of this insect , the colours did not match. Do they come in many colours and varieties?
Editor
It is probable that wings looked transparent because of the rapid wing beat. They have generally been found to have brown body with small distinctive white patches on the abdomen and a black anal tuft. The forewings are pale brown but the hind wings are mainly orange.
Susan Ortega:
I just encountered a hawk moth in my garden! It was about 9:15 pm and it flew right next to me - feasting on my petunias. I thought it was a hummingbird but I was only half right.!! I did not know that we had them here on Long Island, NY.
Editor
Hawk moths have been recorded even in Alaska!
Kristy Reynolds:
I was walking through the botanical gardens in St. Johns Newfoundland Canada when I spotted What I thought was a tiny Hummingbird. I thought that it looked too small to be one though, so I did some research on the internet and discovered that it was actually this moth. It was truly an exciting experience and I hope to see more of them. I didn't think they would be this far north.
Editor
One of my friends from Northwest territories told me that one summer they saw one humming bird hawk-moth in their garden!
mike king:
I have read a little on hawk or humming bird moths as I was raised to call them and I havent seen many of them but I do see them every year in bufalo, ny region which is not suposed to be where they frequent.. more research shoud be done on these creatures as it appears little is known about their species..
Deanna Badenoch:
I live in Springfield, Oregon. On July 15th, I believe I saw a hummingbird hawk moth feeding on my nasturtiums at dusk. It moved from flower to flower like a small hummingbird, but had dragon-fly like wings. I have lived in Oregon all my life, and have never seen anything like it! Thank you for your site which helped me identify it.
Jean Wilson:
We have had a hummingbird hawkmoth in our garden on and off for some three months. It is a marvellous sight, I thought that it was a hummingbird!!
Ron Ackerman:
Every evening,at dusk till dark,they feed in our flowers,very amazing to watch,,,,and they don't care that we do!! we walk around the flowers and follow them...
Val Sinclair:
Last summer I was sitting on our deck (in Saskatchewan) when I heard a rather loud humming or buzzing sound by the potted petunias. I looked up and thought it was a humming bird, but to my surprise, it was a large flying insect sipping the nectar from the flowers. Later, I found out it was a humming bird hawk moth. I hope to see more of these lovely creatures.
Terri Heuberger:
Today July 24, 2004 we saw what we have figured out now to be a hummingbird hawk moth. It was feeding off of my petunias just like the hummingbirds do. We actually thought it was a new kind of hummingbird that we had not seen before. It buzzed around from flower to flower. I got some awesome digital pictures of it, some even with its tongue out (dont know correct term). This was a very exciting moment for us, as we have lived in Oregon all our lives and this is a first.
Gene Holder:
Raleigh, NC 7:30pm 7/25/04 feeding on Verbena was what now appears to have been a Hummingbird Hawk Moth with green body front half and black back half with about three yellow or white spots just on the green part.. 72 years living in Richmond, Va and Raleigh and first sighting of this incredible beast. Excited by its appearance and its pollenizing because we see no bees anymore and very, very few bumble bees.
Cherry Dawson:
I was visiting family in Ironton, Ohio and noticed a humming bird like insect feeding on the various flowers in the garden. Thanks for the web site. I have found other web sites but not much info on the insect in the US. Now that I know what it is I will try to get a picture of it.
Martina from Rome Italy:
I live in Rome, Italy and I've seen 3 hummingbirds hawkmoth flyin' and eatin' from my geranius at 8.30 pm on 07/28/04....so exciting I Thought they were hummingbirds but it wasn't possible in Italy!!!!! Very fantastic nature!
Sue:
Thanks so much for providing information about this glorious creature. Friends and I were mystified about what the unusual visitor to our gardens was, but, with your help, the mystery was solved.
Marsha Turkin:
8/9/04--Lovely sight, seeing a Hummingbird Hawk Moth for the first time. Thought it was one of "my" Hummingbirds, but it was too small. It was feeding on the Lantana in Tucson, Arizona. Thanks for your information!
Frances Nichols:
I live in E. Rutherford, NJ & had a bbq last evening & both my brothers told me about this unusual winged insect that reminded them of a hummingbird but wasn't. My one brother called it a "lobster tail" because he said that is what it looked like to him. Lo & behold I was in the back yard around 6:30pm this evening (Aug 9th, 2004) & I saw one feeding on my verbena! It was chocolate brown in color & on it's back down by the bottom of what I guess is it's tail? it had 2 distinctive bright yellow stripes. Strangest thing I ever saw!
Brenda Gay:
My husband and I live in Montezuma, GA , and over the weekend we watched what we thought was baby hummingbirds but later found out it was hummingbird moths. They are just beautiful to watch. Our grandkids would stand there and the hummingbird moths would fly all around them. We could almost touch them.
Beautiful creatures.
Joni Wineinger:
I have a large butterfly bush outside my screen in porch. This is the second year for it be literally filled with hawk moths. They share the bush with several hummingbirds, but have noticed the birds tend to only stay very short periods while the moths are present. We live in a rural area 40 miles east of St Louis Missouri.
Marianne Kowaleski:
I spotted a Hummingbird Hawk Moth at Meijers Garden In Grand Rapids Michigan. What a wonderful site to see this tiny bird among all the wonderful flowers there, and of course I got some great digital pictures !
SHEALA DENNING:
I live in Bristol, England. and today found a hummingbird hawk moth caterpillar in my garden, it was so large I thought it was an alien, I have never seen such a large caterpillar. I have put it into a container with some straw on which it was found, hopefully I shall be able to take pictures of its progress and measurements and send them on to you.
Cynthia Morris:
I have lived in the mid-coastal region of North Carolina my whole life, but have never seen this before; in the summer of 2003 I saw my first Hummingbird Hawk Moth. It is bumblebee coloured, bright furry yellow upper and dark black furry "lobster tail" bottom. It moves like a Hummingbird, which we have abundantly around my front porch. I did not know what it was until a student identified what I called a "Hummingbee" just the other day. August 2004.
Joan Pinkley:
August 21, 2004, Nashville, Tennessee, 8:00 pm... I just saw, for the second time this year, what I thought was a humming bird. It feeds on my impatience at dusk, or earlier if its cloudy. Someone said that it could be a moth. After research I feel sure that it is a hawk moth. It appears to be all brown in color and only about an inch long. This is the second year it has visited me.
Joe Warren:
Thank you for so weasily identifying this amazing creature. Just 10 minutes ago at about 10:15 Mountain Time here in Kingman Arizona. I, too, thought it was some sort of miniature nocturnal Hummingbird. This was beige with a fairly bright series of orange stripes on the wings.
August 23, 2004.
Ronnilee Dondero:
August 26, 2004 San Diego CAlifornia Yesterday , early evening, I was watering and suddenly this ???? hovered over the spray and attempted to drink from the flowers I was watering. It was beautiful and all RED---
was it a bird, a plane (not).........a hummingbird with transparent dragonfly wings.?........suddenly it jipped off...and I was left stunned. I will attempt further sighting. The curious detail is that MY hawk moth's color doesn't match the general description. AND --should we, in San Diego, be spotting hawkmoths? The regions they are typically located isn't in these parts. Wow--I feel like I've made a ufo sighting, and nobody believes me! Glad I found this support group!
Patti Marsh:
The last week of August 2004 I was out in my garden in the Columbus, Ohio area and much to my surprise, I saw a hummingbird hawkmoth on my buddelia. I had seen one on the same bush last year and didn't really know what to think, this year when I saw it, I too, thought that that it was more like a hummingbee. I didn't know how to classify it. I wish I had my camera with me to show others what a great insect it was until I went online to investigate and now I know. How lucky was I?
Sue and Leo:
Woodruff, Wisconsin. Sept. 9, 2004. We watched a Hawk Moth feeding on our Petunias. Light brown, in color, with bars across its back, a long proboscis(looked like a beak), inch-long antennae. Our first sighting, and most interesting.
Liz Nash:
I saw a hawk month in Edina, Minnesota!! At first I thought it was a hummingbird but this morning I discovered its true identity. It was very interested in my petunias. It was so amazing!
Paul:
I have just seen one of these Humming Bird Moth's in our garden in Suffolk England UK.
Took a couple of digi pictures too. Found your site on Google to identify...it is actually the second time we have seen them this summer.
We were just wondering if they were meant to be around in this part of the world?
Cheers
Paul & family
Frances Miller:
I live in southeast Virginia and discovered these strange hummingbird type insect feeding on my lantana but it is much brighter colored than the hummingbird hawk moth pictures I saw on several web sites. The colors were yellow and darker colors much like a bee but definitely hovered over the plants like a hummingbird and had the long beak like mouth for getting the nectar.
Maggie:
I've seen one today sunday 18th July 2004 in my garden at 0910 feeding off some echiums that are blooming. Having seen humming birds I must admit I was really excited to see this moth, the first in over 60 years of my life
Kathleen Marasco:
My friend and I were enjoying the warm day today (9/19/04) when this huge 'bug' began sucking the nectar from a batch of petunias at our feet. I thought it was a hummingbird, my neighbor, Nora, thought it was a moth. We watched for nearly an hour. I didn't want to move to get my camera for fear it would fly away. Tomorrow, I'll try to get a digital shot (infor I read says that this creature returns at the same time...perhaps 2 days in a row). I hope so. I live in Brookfield, Il a suburb of Chicago. Fascinating.
Jan Humphries:
We live in Dorking, in Surrey, UK, and I thought I was going mad when I saw a small hummingbird in my garden - we don't get them in England. Of course I found that it was a hummingbird hawk moth, feeding on my nice pink geraniums. I didn't know they existed before today - a lovely sight, and I will try to get a photo!
Jan Humphries
mario leto:
I currently live in Japan and also have just seen a hawk-moth for the first time. I was on a walk when I noticed it hovering around someone's flower pot. I thought it was a hummingbird until I got home and started reading on the internet, trying to identify it. I watched it for a few minutes until it came over to check me out and flew away.
DOROTHY HAWKINS:
This was the first time I had seen a hummingbird moth in Myrtle beach, SC. It was at dusk and was feeding on white blooms of a ginger plant. The body was hot pink with stripes. It had feelers, making me know at once it wasn't a hummingbird. Otherwise the flight pattern was identical.
John & Julie Emery:
We were holidaying in Brittany, France in September 2004 and had the pleasure of seeing this wonderful creature sucking nectar from valerian. We saw it on many occasions and took photographs. Of course the wing-beat is so fast we did not have the right film but had some quite good results. The local residents did not know its name as it was a new visitor to that part of the country.
Myrna King:
We live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. My neighbour called me over to see a humming bird with insect feet. I suggested it was an insect as it did not have talons like a bird. It was great to come to your web site to identify something that nature has provided for all to see.
John and Rose Wolff:
We were amazed to see this strange bird/insect flying around our flowers. At first we thought it was a hummingbird because of it's size and flight, but it looked too fuzzy. I finally just found out it was a Hummingbird Hawk - Moth. We've only seen them on two different occasions at dusk. We are in Cocoa, Florida. October 2004
Doug and Lori Booth:
We were walking the dog on our nightly walks and spotted these small creatures on our Lady of the Niles. We have now seen two and are surprised to find an insect that acts so much like a hummingbird. It is very exciting. We seem to have a pair, with one staying more stationary while it feeds and the other constantly darting around. One had a hard time in our 30 mph winds during the Florida tropical storms, but they must have stayed. They come out at around 9PM. Thanks for the information. We would have never known that they are moths.
Lauren:
(October 2004) I live in Lafayette, LA, and I thought that I was watching hummingbirds in my garden every night around 8:00pm...sometimes 2 or 3 at a time. I always thought they looked rather moth-like, but was not aware that such a creature existed until I took pictures of one last night and got on the internet to research it. I had no idea that moths behaved like that...it's proboscis was at least twice the length of it's body. Very interesting!
pat gabriel:
I have just seen my very first and only hummingbird moth after a long search on the internet a fab experience and a beautiful moth of which I hope I will experience again. It was feeding on my geraniums on this warm october afternoon. I just hope I will see it again with a camera at hand.
Paul:
I live in Lake Mary Florida. At dusk on November 8th 2004, I spotted what I thought to be a small humminbird moving rapidly among my plumbago plants. I have recently begun attracting hummingbirds with a variety of plants and assumed this was a small variety. Your site help me confirm that I had spotted a hummingbird hawk moth.
sam:
Need to know more about pandas, like where they used to live to where they live now and also maps of where they lived and where they live!!! But other than that it was helpful thanks!!!!!!!!
Lalitha Krishnan:
I am so excited to have identified the hawk moth, thanks to your site. I live at 6000ft, in the foothills of the Himalayas, in India. The hawk moth has been visiting my garden for a while. Recently I saw it near the cosmos. I could send you a picture if you like. I have seen only one at a time and would love to know more.
richard williams:
During hot summer of 2003 saw the amazing humming hawk moth feeding on trailing verbena in my hanging basket...It was a sunny morning so at first I did not suspect a moth! It looked like a mutant humming bird..a neighbour called it a humming bee ! Maybe some day there will be such a species ...
sandy:
I had moved to North Carolina last summer from Ohio. I had never seen an insect like this before. Striped body, long tongue, hovers over flowers and sips nectar! After a long search on Google I found it to be a Hummingbird Hawk Moth! Wow we even petted it while it was feeding on our tree.
Matt:
A few years back, in 98' or so, I found a Caterpillar in my parents backyard in Riverside, CA. I put it in a jar with dirt and leaves to watch it change into....whatever. It ended up digging itself into the soil and emerging some days later as a hawk moth. It was an extremely interesting experience, and although we haven't found another caterpillar or moth of that kind ever since, I'm still keeping my eyes peeled.
Cheryl:
I live in Poplar Bluff, MO. I saw a hummingbird moth, feeding in my patio rock garden for the last two years, but didn't know what it was until now. What a great find!
Randall Hancock:
Saturday, April 16, 2005. Kenlake Resort Park, Aurora, Kentucky. While walking on the backside area of the parks garden area near the rear of the hotel we noted what we thought was our first sighting of a hummingbird. On closer observation we noted it wasn't a hummingbird but an insect of some sort. First time I have ever noted one of these. Finally identified on the internet as my local insect books did not identify. Lower abdomen had two bright green stripes on it running horizontally. What a remarkable creature!!!! Observed it quite closely as it sipped nectar from phlox.
Jim Poulos:
This morning I came upon a Hummingbird Hawk Moth for the first time in my life. I live on the Coast of North Carolina (Kill Devil Hills) in a Nature Preserve and I was observing my petunias when all of a sudden I saw this bird like insect land in front of me. Had two yellow stripes on a black body and a head like a stink bug legs and a sucker....Its an amazing thing to watch.
leah:
BORING. It gave me no information or anything you need to work on.
Isabel:
May 4, 2005 7:55 p.m. Montebello, CA (Los Angeles Area) My husband, my 2 year old and I were walking under a Jicaranda Tree and spotted what I called a moth and my husband argued was a hummingbird. We watched this stange creature for about 20 minutes until we got tired. We argued over what it was, I guess we were both right!
Olivia:
May 5, 2005, Great Britain.
I live in the UK, in England, and saw one of these fantastic, enchanting moths for the first time last weekend. I understand they are not indigenous to Great Britain, but migrate from the med, and Southern France.
What a thrill to see one.
carol a coad:
We had a beauty in our garden early morning. I was inches away from it. It is amazing and beautiful. Not shy at all. We live in Monroe Township, New Jersey and the flowers were "pinks".
Michael Gee:
May 11,2005, 8:30pm past. I saw what has been described here as a hawk moth. Banded yellow and black , feeding on flowers of many types. So beautiful.
steve:
Mine had two yellow stripes on it, I live in South Jersey
Chris Ford:
May 30, 2005 - just saw a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in my garden tonight (7:30 pm - sun not quite at horizon, warm weather). Couldn't believe my eyes, thought it was a hummingbird, but looked a bit too small for one. Watched it for about 5 mins, from a distance of about 4 feet away while it darted from flower to flower feeding. Checked it up on the web to confirm it was a moth.... what a lovely sight!
Cliff:
I am 59 years old and this morning sighted my first ever Hummingbird-Hawk-Moth. My wife and I were delighted. Not having seen one before, we both thought it a small hummingbird that had perhaps escaped an aviery. Of course I've been googling all day gleening information and am now more familiar with it. We have lots of honeysuckle and jasmine and later we will have the buddlea so I'm sure we will sight it again.
Lionel Collins:
We saw and photographed this moth yesterday in our garden in LONDON, England.
We saw it twice at 14:00hrs on 31st May 2005.
Steve:
Hi, I saw one of these on Tuesday the 31st May 2005 in my uncles garden in North West England. I was very suprised and didn't know what it was. I thought it was some type of bird, as it sucked nectar out of a plant in my garden. It then hovered near my mum and nearly landed on her, then flew away. It stayed in my uncles garden for approx 15 minutes. The humming bird moth was like an insect but had small wings which were orange and a long beak. When my uncle wrote the description in on the internet this site came up. Thankyou
Sean:
May 30th - 2005, Great Britain, Portsmouth, caught a glance of one of these amazing creatures last weekend whilst at a BBQ. Couldn't stop thinking about it and what it might be, then came across your web site. Thanks for helping to solve this mystery.
Fern Bradley:
Hi I'm from Fort Macleod Alberta Canada. I saw my first hummingbird Moth. It was very exciting. I'm just starting a Perenial flower bed and planted some Petunisa for extra colour. I started to water around 9Pm and nearly watered him (or her). I looked on the internet and came across your site. Keep up the good work it's exciting to hear how many places on this earth they are. At least there's something that we haven't destroyed yet.
Lee Stockton:
Regular visitor to my gardenhere in Crowland (Peterborough), usually catch them around 8am sipping nector from the Petunias!
Colin:
One has also been seen in the South West of Dublin, Ireland
Valerie:
July 2005 - I live just North of the 60th parallel in Yukon Territory, Canada. Hawk/Hummingbird Moths have been sighted occasionally over the last 18 years that I have lived here, but have become more and more frequent. This year seems to be a bumper year-they are every where and seen at all times(we probably have about 19-20 hours of daylight at this time of year).
John:
My wife and I found one of these beautiful creatures feeding on the newly blooming phlox in our garden this morning. We see them no more than once each summer here in west central Ohio, but we marvel at each visit. It was with us just long enough this time for me to get my digital camera and get a couple of good shots.
Catherine Horrocks:
Today ( 7/15/2005 ) my husband and I spotted
this strange-looking moth. I thought it was
a new hummer. It was late afternoon,
and it was feeding on the impatients and
a butterfly bush. We live in south-eastern
Ohio.
denis lynch:
I saw what I thought was a hummingbird drinking from a pink flower. It had a green proboscis, slightly curved, and the markings on the back were similar to a large purple V on the back. Wonder if its a scarce variety, as nobody else has described this type.
Craig:
July, 14, 2005 just saw one in Kansas City. Had no idea they existed. Very cool
Eva:
July 16, 2005 - Thank you for identifying this tiny creature! I first saw it a year ago in South Brunswick, NJ. I saw one today in my garden in Princeton, NJ.
Richard Kern:
I too at first believed I was seeing a very small hummingbird feeding on the initial blossoms of the prairie blazingstar (liatris spicata) in my perinneal garden today, but since the only hummingbirds native to Wisconsin are ruby-throated and much larger I discounted that pretty quick. Like the other observers, I found this moth to be relatively tame and seemed quite unconcerned about my wife and my proximity (3 feet) to it as it was feeding. It seemed to have pretty eclectic tastes and moved readily to the bee balm blossoms, prairie coneflower and Hansa rose. I doubt that I could definitively identify the moth as a hummingbird hawk moth, but the continuous wing beat, the general coloration and the hummingbird like hovering as it was feeding gave me some confidence that I have identified the creature correctly. Now if I could just spot a luna moth again after about 30 years since my last encounter with one.
Charlene Pearman:
July 19, 2005 Bartlesvile, Oklahoma, USA. I was studying on my porch a few days ago and saw what I first thought to be a hummingbird and then wondered if it could be a type of bee. I was so intrigued that I got my camera and got some nice shots of it. It was enjoying my lantana, so it didn't seem to mind. I will be happy to enail you the best pics. I live northeastern Oklahoma, and had never seen one of these. I showed the pics to a friend, who in turn was telling someone about it. His friend happened to be an entomologist, so he knew right away what it was. That is how I found your web site. Thanks, Charlene Pearman
adrienne zedella:
My kids and I are thrilled to have what we think is a hummingbird hawk moth in our back yard. He visits our flowers every night between 10:30 and 11 and we look forward to his fluttering visit. We live in Cleveland Ohio and are so enamored with his presence and have never seen anything like it. We've seen him 4 times already. We absolutely adore this sweet little creature! Here's a fun tip - pick a flower top and hold it up in the air and the hawk moth will fly right to your outreached flower and feed for a second or two! It's incredible! What a learning experience - I am personally flattered that he enjoys my back yard and hope he keeps coming back.
Jo Decker:
July 21,2005, I had 2 hawk moths this morning at approx. 7:30. They stayed around for a few minutes. I cut some phlox to take to work and one of them landed on by flowers in my hand. I turned the flowers around and this little moth flew by my face. I could actually feel the breeze--another memory for me!
suzi:
7-21-05 we've had these strange creatures visit our garden for the past several years here in Fredericksburg, Virginia. We didn't know what they were until today.
Dan Bernhardt:
Spotted my first on the evening of July 21, 2005 here in Helena, Montana. Had to google to find out what it was.
Nancy Ciasulli:
Very interesting. Glad I found this site and to learn that so many people had the same experience as I did when I saw this amazing insect. My husband and I also considered hummingbird but then said "Nah - it's too small" But what is it? Same pattern of flight as described above. The body was green -- had two dark antennae and a curled proboscis that extended into the center of petumia & Lantana.
It's nice to know that so many other folks all over the world have a similar curiosity.
Cheryl:
I just sighted a hawk moth in my garden in San Antonio, Texas. It was feeding on Pentas just a few inches from my leg. I watched for quite a while and it was not bothered that I was so close to it. I was certain that it was some strange tiny hummingbird, however I did notice that the head was shaped differently than that of a hummingbird. The one I saw was a dark rich brown with very bright yellow stripes on its tail.
July 24, 2005 around 9:30 am
Alex:
I was at my friend's house and I looked outside, and right by her window was what I thought to be a hummingbird hawkmoth. It took me the longest time to actually find any information on what it was, but I got lucky while looking on google for "strange flying insects". Until then we had been calling it a bumblebird for its resemblance to a hummingbird and a bumble bee. I'm still not entirely convinved, because I haven't found anything on sightings in Tennessee, which is why I wrote this, to see if there have been any sightings near Memphis.
Sharon Starks:
I just came in from my garden in Charlotte, North Carolina, on a very warm evening. I have been watching a fascinating little creature feeding from my phlox. I too at first thought it was a bee, then a different type of hummingbird. My visitor had two very distinct yellow bands behind its wings. Thank you for your website. I have a large assortment of hummingbird attracting flowers. I'll be watching for this little guy's return.
Lynn Luhman:
My husband noticed this strange little ? what is it, a humming bird or a bee. We have around ten humming birds at our feeders. This little guy was feeding off my flowers around our house. We have seen this amazing little guy about two days now here in Barneveld, Wisconsin
Tina Harkess:
July 26, 2005 - I believe I have a real, LIVE, Hawk Moth sitting next to me at this moment. I live in Colorado, the Denver area and was working in my backyard doing some yard work. As I was picking up an armful of leaves, I noticed something which reminded me of the Butterfly study my children and I just recently finished. I couldn't believe it was a pupa right there on the ground. I brought in into the house and set it on my table on a napkin (not the brightest idea, I now know). There it sat for about 4-5 days. One day I walked by and thought my child had opened it, then realized it had emerged. I searched my house looking for a Butterfly. I had given up when something caught my eye under the dinning room table. There it was, this large moth. I had seen one only one time before several years ago and was thrilled that I had our Butterfly Pavillion close at hand so we could catch it. What a sight!!
Terry:
I live in Oregon and years ago, late 60's and early 70's, we used to sleep out on the back patio and at the corner was a Honeysuckle bush. That was the first time and last for that matter that I had ever seen hawk moths, they were quite amazing to watch hovering like hummingbirds. At night when it was quiet they sounded much like hummingbirds when feeding on the flowers. It has been years since I have seen another.
bob:
29 july 05 I live just north of Milwaukee WI and got a picture of what I now believe to be a bee/humming bird Hawk moth.
Is there someone I can send the pictures to to tell me what I have seen (my wife is the eagle eye to see it)
Larry:
We saw one of these little creatures feeding at our phlox the other evening. First one we had ever seen. We have many hummingbirds and were amazed at this creature. We live in Dixon, Illinois.
key:
I ventured out on my porch in north east pa when I captured a pictured of what I believe was a hawk moth but I'm not sure it has a green head and a yellowish band mid-way down its body and a white breast. If you would like a copy of the pic email me.
Emma:
I have just been to Evian on the edge of Lake Geneva, and spotted one of these feasting on geranium nectar. At first, like many others, I thought this was a tiny bird, but on closer inspection I could see it was some kind of moth. Even funnier is, I have just come back to England, and my dad said he had also seen one a few days ago in his garden (it was much colder in the UK than Evian!) They are the most amazing insect I have ever seen.
Nancy:
It is August 1st, I live in Waterford, Michigan.
I was in my yard, when I looked into my garden and I saw what I thought was a hummingbird.
I stood and watched for a while, because I was not sure it was a hummingbird. It had long black antennas and there was orange.
It looked too small to be a hummingbird. It had a long tounge like thing going in to the flowers to eat. Then I saw there were about 4 of them, all drinking nectar on my bee balm.
I went in my house to get the camera, went back out and have not seen them again.
I have never seen anything like them before in my life. This site helped me to identify them, I believe them to be the hummingbird hawk moth.
Crys:
July 22nd '05 A hummingbird hawk moth was found at the garden center where I work in Downingtown PA. It was flying in some planters with petunias, verbena, and lantana. Very interesting!!
Barbara Fitzsimonds:
My husband and I saw a hawk moth at about 5:30-5:45 today, August 1, 2005. We were in our backyard and I noticed what looked like a big bug flying around my phlox. As we looked closer it looked a lot like a small hummingbird. It was bright orange, with two red rings around it's tale section. It had the nose of a hummingbird and the antenea coming from it's head. It hovered over the flowers and jumped from one to the other sucking nectar. It was fascinating to watch.
Bob Knepp:
We have discovered that we have these little hummingbird hawk moths in our flowers here in Fredonia, PA. Thanks for providing this site.
Elizabeth Cregan:
I live in coastal monmouth county NJ and pulled a five inch hornworm out of my garden this afternoon. Scared the daylights out of me. I suppose if my daughter keeps it long enough it might turn into a hawk moth. Not sure I am ready for that though.
JOHN MILNE:
We saw our first hummingbird hawk moth here at Banff in Scotland it was feeding on a budleah in the front garden. It didn't seem to mind three of us getting a close up view. It was early evening fairly bright and a warm night, well as warm as it gets here in Scotland.
Steve:
(1st August '05) Glad to find out what was flitting from flower to flower in my garden. I found this site after doing various searches because I thought it very unusual to see a large moth in the late afternoon hovering around my garden and was not sure which type of moth this could have been. The description fits perfectly to the Hawk Moth. By the way, I live on the Sussex coast in the south of England. Was this a rare sighting for my part of the world. I was sure if I left to get my camera, it would be gone before I returned and I would have missed the viewing.
Pat Pellegrini:
Count this moth living in Plainfield, CT. I too thought it was a small hummer and was fascinated at its size and boldness of being about 18" from my face. This is about the third year of them visiting my butterfly bushes. A friend and I were discussing them today and he emailed me information of them being a moth. They are appropriately named.
LInda and Emily:
Wow, my daughter and I saw a hummingbird hawk moth in our garden today. Like others, we first thought it a tiny hummingbird. Then we did some research in my daughter's butterfly book and discovered it's true identity. We were so thrilled to find this website and share our discovery. We live in Wausau, Wisconsin. It is Aug. 4th, 2005.
Taylor Watt:
We have found a hummingbird sphinx (caterpillar) in ALASKA! He is the blue and red horned one.
Kerry:
I believe my husband & I have been watching a hawk moth hovering over our chaste tree here in Manomet, Massachusetts, is it possible that they are found in our area??? Very entertaining & so very similar to a Hummingbird, if not what can it be???
vicki hill:
A friend was just over and told me he has had a humming bird in his garden for the last 3 days. I was telling him bumble bee humming bird I had in my garden 2 years ago. He had never heard of them, so I was showing him the flower it was feeding on and believe it or not there was one on my bright pink bee balm. He was amazed, as was I. I ran in the house to get my camera but it was gone by the time I came back. Anyway I was just doing a litlle research online and discovered that actually I have seen a humming bird hawk moth. It's really great and I hope he comes back. By the way this was mid afternoon in Gloucester,Ma.
Elaine:
I live in Nova Scotia, while sitting on my deck at my cottage one day watched what we named a humblebee sipping nectar from my flowers. We thought it looked like a hummingbird, but the back half resembled the colors of a bumblebee. We looked it up on the computer and found it was a hawk moth. Very interesting.
Bill Glover:
August 8th,2005
A beautiful hummingbird hawk moth has been working at the white phlox in our flower bed for a few days now.
Susan:
I live in southeastern PA and for the past 2 years we have had hummingbird hawk moths on our butterfly bushes every day. They are quite common. I never knew exactly what they were, but I figured it was some kind of a moth. I am so excited to finally learn what they are and that we are lucky enough to see them on a regular basis!
Anthony Young:
I live in Woodbury TN. about 70 miles outside of nashville up in the hills and I have a whole family ok hummingbird moths living on my Angel Trumpet flowers. They come out at dusk and leave when it gets dark usually, but on rare occasion I have seen them at 11pm or later. I sit and watch them almost every nigt and I am truly amazed at this moth. They are very large and are very quick. If we stand real still they will fly around and on our head. I would say some of the larger ones are as large as a sparrow.
Fr. Thomas Moore:
Aug 11, 2006 W. Columbia, SC. : While standing in the garden of our church today, three of us saw what I now know to be hummingbird hawk moths. We had no idea what they were until I came home tonight and found this web site. One of the children was wise enough to know they weren't hummingbirds because "they have too many legs." Very lovely soft grey/brown and they almost seemed friendly.
Daniel:
Hi there. I live in a county called Kent, England. After searching on google I think I have now seen in my back garden what I believe to be a hummingbird moth. I have never seen one before in my lifetime, is this rare?
tina:
8/12/2005
Saw this most wonderous of sights this morning. It was a metallic green, gold, orange, and yellow moth like creature. It had an almond shaped body, not very big. It had a real long-beak? nose? tube? it stuck down in my flowers. Have yellow trumpet flowers, and stephanotis, some petunias, and some verbeana and lantana. Have never seen anything like this before. It hovered above the flowers, made a soft humming noise, wasn't afraid that I was there watching it- and went patiently from flower to flower. About 5 minutes later it was gone with a flash. We have many beautiful hummingbirds come, and the feeder is always busy during the spring and summer. But never, have I seen this wonderous creature. Thank you for the information, for now I know at least it was a hummingbird moth, though none of the pictures on the websites I have visited this morning match the tiny creature. wow!
Heather:
Hello, I live in North Eastern New Jersey. On August 10, 2005, I noticed my beautiful tomato plant was literally chewed up over night. At first I blamed the deer or groundhog and was mad. But when I looked closer I was fascinated to see the largest caterpillar I have ever seen in my life. It had a sharp horn on its rear which made it all the more easy to identify. My children were also amazed. My neighbour who has lived in our town for over sixty years and was also a tomato planter, also never had seen such a fascinating insect. For any of you readers who will read my comment, does anyone know if an incredibly hot summer like the one we are having maybe contributes to their presence in our area?
Joe:
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; spotted these huge insects last year just after sunset flitting around the wave petunias. This year I have a bumper crop of Moonflowers (datura inoxia) and the hummingbird moths just love them! There were dozens flitting around us. For some reason our two cats completely ignored them. The moths have a very long proboscis which coils up like a spring between flower stops. I snapped a picture of a preying mantis nabbing one of these huge moths as it landed on a moonflower! The only color on this insect is four yellow dots ringed in black in two rows on either side of the back. The dots get smaller as they reach the tail. The wings have no color, but have interesting bands of white, grey and black. The wingspan is a good 8 inches, body length about 3 inches.
Jayne:
Hi I live in South Wales, in the U.k and for the first time I saw a hummingbird hawk moth feeding on a blue flowering shrub. It was gorgeous and really fast flying. It stayed for a few minutes then went & I haven't seen it since. It tried to feed off a few other plants, mainly cornflowers and dahlias but obviously didn't like them & in those few minutes returned time after time to the blue flowers. It looked just like a bird and I thought it had escaped from a collection somewhere!
JUNE:
Aug.14,2005 Eugene,Oregon. Tonight while watching our evening opening of the flowers we know as "moon flowers" we spotted what we now know was a hummingbird hawk moth . Like many others we could not tell if it was a hummingbird, moth or dragonfly. Thanks to your website we were able to identify the hummingbird hawk moth.
Renae:
We were sitting outside yesterday Aug 14, 2005 Columbia, SC and saw a hummingbird hawk moth for the first time and it was on my verbena. We didn't know what it was so I went to the web to find out. Are these rare because we had never seen one before. Thought at first it was a baby hummer but guess not. Hope that we see it again.
Joanne:
For two summers now I have seen this incredible creature hovering in my butterfly bushes and could not figure out what it was. Thanks for the info. I live in central New Jersey.
Andrew:
Bristol, UK, Aug 15th- At first I had thought it was a beetle with orange wing-casings- the wings were beating too fast for a butterfly, and it didn't hang around very long. I did think "No, that can't possibly be a humming bird", and I was right, it's a moth. It had a furry body and long tapering bits on its head. Proboscis? Antennae? It stopped long enough to take a look at the Budliea, but left immediately.
Annette:
I spotted this little creature that looked like a mutant between a bee and a hummingbird and sucking on my phlox (just last weekend). I had no idea where to find information on this until I came across your site. I live in Winnipeg Manitoba. A strange looking bug - it was brown ringed like a bee but larger and its wings were more of a triangular shape and moved like a hummingbird but not as quick. On closer view, it had a white chest like a hummingbird which is why I thought it was a cross. I had been trying to attract hummingbirds for 2 years without success and all of a sudden this thing shows up - it showed up on a birght sunny day in the middle of the day. I managed to take 4 pictures of it - if you want please email me back as there is no way to attach to this email.
Debi:
I live in Deleware and around the begining of the summer I thought I saw a humming bird feasting on my butterfly bush. After I got a really good look at it I relized it was an insect. I have never seen anything like it. Either we have a population of them here or this one enjoys my buttterfly bush so much he visits here everyday!!
Moagard:
I am wondering if what I have here is going to be a hawk moth. We found a large bright green worm / caterpillar looking thing on the side of a tree in our yard. We put it into an aquarium with leaves and branches so my husband could see it before we released it. Within 24 hours it had made a cocoon in one of the hosta leaves. That is were it is now. I'm curious to see how long it will be in this stage and what will emerge. I photographed the worm and this cocoon stage. I am anxious to photograph its transformation.
Brenda:
The last few years I have noticed we have these humming bird moths in South Dakota. They love the calibrachea hanging flower baskets on our porch.
Sabrina:
I just saw one for the very first time this morning, and I was mezmerized. It was feeding in the butterfly bushes in my back yard. It wasn't brown, though, It's wings were a bright burgany color, and it's body varied between pale greens and whites. It was so awesome looking, I really had no idea that they exsisted until this afternoon. I saw it at about 4:00 in the afternoon on a cloudy, cool day in late August. I live in NJ. I really thought It was some kind of hummingbird, but I knew it couldn't be because of the antenna.
Rita:
I saw the hummingbird moth in Courtenay B.C. Vancouver Island at the Home Depot Garden section. I was amazed - thought it was a hummingbird. I came home to look it up online and sure enough I discovered that it is a bug!
Maria:
This afternoon I found who had been eating large quantities of leaves in the garden. It is the caterpillar that turns into the Hawk Moth. They started with the 4 O'Clocks and ended up on the Datura. I counted at least 5. I have seen the Hawk Moths flying around on our deck but they usually end up being eaten by my dogs. My son and I put one caterpillar in an aquarium to watch and when it's ready, we'll let it go. We are down in Lehigh Acres, Florida.
Mike Rudalff:
Sunday, 9-4-2005. 7:30 P.M. Berrien Springs, Michagan. This evening I just saw for my first time a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. It was eating from a Butterfly bush which is located in a flower garden with a 12' by 12' pond and a 3 tier 30 foot long waterfall (which my brother made. This area (pond and waterfall) attracts a lot of different birds and butterflies, but this was the first on the Hawk Mouth. I was able to take some nice photos with my camera.
Debra:
We have enjoyed watching the Hummingbird Hawk-Moth in our flower garden for years here in Soap Lake, Eastern Washington. We found that they are not shy. They love the evening primrose- then came the large, hairless caterpillars, they can eat the blossoms of the plant in minutes. I tried to pick one off the plant and it turned and spit at me. Creepy.
Chris:
I just saw a Bee Hawk Moth...we thought it was a small hummingbird because there was one feeding right next to it. My husband took several pictures. When we took a look at the pictures we realized it was not a hummingbird...so I came to internet to find out what kind of insect it was. Looks just like the internet pictures. We live near Minneapolis Mn.
Jackie Fix:
I live in north Dakota and this is the first time I have ever seen them. It is the 5th of September 2005, summer is winding down and the cool evenings have the crispness of fall. Early this evening we observed several feeding in the flowerbed on the 4 O'clock's and Niciotina plants. Their appearance and behavior was that of a hummingbird. While they were darting from flower to flower the air was filled with the sweet scent of the flowers. We watched them up close and they paid no attention to our presence.
Janie:
While doing yard work yesterday evening I saw for the first time a hummingbird hawk moth. I thought it was an unusual hummingbird because it was fushia and white striped and had bug-like eyes. I didn't remember the antenna until I saw the picture on this site. I watched it from a distance of about 2 feet for approximately 5 minutes while it fed on yellow cannas. It was amazing watching it move from flower to flower. I discovered it's true identity today. I've never heard of these before. I live in Cooper, TX. I'll be watching for it again.
Kristi:
What an unbelievable sight... I was watering my lawn in the evening and thought I saw a Hummingbird. The closer I was the more interested I was. I knew for sure I had seen quite a treasure. Last night there were two of them... maroon-ish wings, and the body was a multi colour variation of browns. Beautiful...
Anyone else from Butte, Montana have this experience?
Russ Goddard:
My wife and I live in Anaconda Montana, not much grows out here because it is so dry and cold most of the year.
We were in the back yard when we heard some buzzing and flitting.
Looking down, found one of these little moths feeding on some Thyme flowers that are still blooming quite profusely.
I do put in plants that attract cabbage loppers because I like the butterflies, so think I will work on plantings that will attract this insect as I see it as some thing very fascinating and would be a welcome animal into my yard.
Joy:
My parents live in Northeast Pennsylvania. We have been seeing these insects for several summers now. I've been calling them hummingbees, but finally discovered what they are. Incredible insect!
Matt:
Sept. 9th 2005- The larvae of this moth is the ravenous tomato horned worm. Beware vegetable gardners! As beautiful is the Hawk-moth the Tomato Horn-worm is equally destructive. In three days time I pulled at least 15 of these critters off my worm ravaged tomato and pepper plants. Look for green droppings on the ground below your defoliated tomato and pepper plants that will lead you to this well camouflaged worm. Needless to say the tomato horned worms in my garden never got to become Hawk-moths.
Charlotte:
My family and I recently saw a new bug in the garden! Since then we've seen it four times feeding off the ground lilac with its proboscis. It looks very similar to the picture of the hummingbird hawk-moth on your website, yet the one we've seen has entirely pale orange wings and small black and white stripes at the end of it's body. We live in Yorkshire, England and our friend says he's only ever seen them in hot countries such as Greece. Is it normal for it to be in east England in September? and is it still a hummingbird hawk-moth despite it's pale orange wings and black/white stripes?
Tisha:
I have wondered about these creatures for years!! I saw them only once and it was the night we moved to Klamath Falls Oregon. This was in the 1950's and there were lots of them feeding on the flowers in front of our house. I told my parents about seeing a bunch of "Birds" flying in the flowers but no one came to look. What was so amazing is the day we moved I found a dead one up in our attic and I treasured it for years.
Yet some sites say they don't live here.WRONG!!!
Debbie Matthews:
I saw a picture of a hummingbird hawk month in our paper today and finally found out that is what I have been watching feeding on our flowers! At first my daughter thought it was a type hummingbird then she looked closer and thought maybe a bee. Thanks so much for the wonderful website now we know they are in Dexter, Michigan! They are very neat creatures to watch!
Arthur:
We moved to the Ann Arbor, MI area from Toledo Ohio 3 years ago. For the last 2 years we have had this strange combination of hummingbird and bee flitting around our garden. I finally figured out what it is- a hawk-moth!!!! For 2 years I've been asking around at butterfly houses and zoos and no one had an answer. At last I can scratch that itch and tell everyone what they are! Thanks for your site.
Trevor Baker:
I first encounted the Hummmingbird Hawk moth some 15 years ago while working in Cyprus ..
I was then, for some reason amazed to see one today (10/09/2005) on my next doors Budlia around 16:00 hrs.
I informed her as to what it was but she did not seemed to be interested.
Dawn:
My husband and I just returned from his parents' home in Cecil County, Maryland. We noticed what we thought was a hummingbird feasting on the flowers around the sidewalk. My father-in-law said it wasn't a hummingbird. He noticed them last year but wasn't sure what they were. I didn't believe it could be an insect. My husband offered up moth but I didn't think that was possible. It was interesting finding out about the hummingbird hawk moth. Sure had me fooled.
Anne:
I live in Sierra Vista, Az and we have these moths in our front garden in the evening time....wonderful to watch. I also thought as first they were hummingbirds and finally came across a picture of this strange moth and sure enough that was it!
Chuck:
9/16/2005 Indiana... I am 62 years old, and saw my first Hawk Moth last Sunday. Then we don't know if you'd call it a flock or a swarm yesterday. .They were darting in the air, maybe a mating dance? We had a lot of caterpillars on our dill this year, could that have been them?
linda:
After doing a little research on the web this evening to my delight I discovered that the strange furry fluttery insect I saw in my garden this morning was a hummingbird hawk moth. I am no insect fanatic but this one was incredible to watch, unfortunately as you well know it was far too fast to photograph. What a shame, I will be looking out for it again...
Skipton, North Yorkshire.
Becky:
As we were leaving a friend's house in southern Kentucky about dark last night, we stopped to admire his Angel's Trumpet flower. As we were watching, what looked like a hummingbird flew up. As we watched we saw it wasn't a hummingbird but a moth. I researched when I got home and discovered this was a hummingbird hawk moth. I didn't know they existed. This was a great experience.
Brian Alexie:
I did not know what it was until a recent article on yahoo. The one I spotted was near the mouth of the Bonnetplume River, Yukon Territory during the summer of 95.
Alison:
We live in Jersey (European one) we have hummingbird Hawk moths here for all of the summer and have had for many years, we look forward to seeing them every year, I usually see them 3-4 times a week in our garden.
Phil Knott:
I saw my first hummingbird hawk moth at the end of September this year it spent about 30 minutes flying round our garden visiting each and every flower on our large lavender bushes. Southend on Sea, Essex, UK
Clemens Schwaighofer:
Saw one on 15th October 2005 in Japan. Was walking around with my dog when I came to some flowers and suddenly I saw it. First I thought its a humming bird, but they don't exist in Japan. Took some pictures, great thing. Hope to see it again some day.
sharon maiden:
Can you send me or tell me of a web site to see the caterpillar? I have about 15 penta plants. Some are green and some are two toned gray. Do you have any idea why the different colors? Thank you so much. I live in houston Texas.
Deb Fritzl:
About end August-early Sept I saw what I thought to be a large bee like creature on my honey suckle. It acted like a hummingbird, flying backwards. I got very close to see striped back, couldnt see wing colour as it was so fast when hovering. Amazing sight. North shropshire England
grace harvey:
Two years ago I saw what I thought was a humming bird in Fareham Hampshire. It can't be I thought humming birds do not live in England. It seemed very happy darting about and feeding on the various plants now I have just found out about the Hummingbird Hawk Moth and realised thats what it was most interesting. Grace Harvey
Charlotte Forbes:
On holiday in Tenerife and have just come across a humming bird hawk moth, tried to take a picture but it was much too fast.
- 26th November 2005
Jamie May:
Saw one of these at a garden centre in Hailsham, East Sussex in July 2005. Didn't know what it was until I saw it on David Attenborough's "Life in the Undergrowth" series. Truly an amazing little creature. Like alot of your correspondents, I thought it was a hummingbird - but surely not in England?
RIchard:
I have a digital image that I captured summer of 2005 in Rockalnd County, NY, USA. If anyone is interested in seeing it, let me know how to upload it.
Margaret Madison:
5-23-06 - Spotted a hummingbird hawk moth in Jackson, Michigan (private homeowner's front garden). I never saw one before and did think it was a hummingbird at first, but after snapping some digital photos and identifying it online here, I realized that it is a moth. What a surprise.
Janniegirl:
What brought me to this site was more information on the hummingbird hawk moth. i live in northwest New Mexico and we watch about 10 to fifteen HB moths feast on our honeysuckle vines every evening just before dusk. I believe these are not that common to this area, especially in those numbers. At times i believe I can reach out and touch them if i wanted to. I was wondering if their larva is dangerous to any of the plant life around here? I dont want my other plants destroyed either.
giles:
I saw six of the humming bird moths today.
13th June 2006 in a garden on Hertfordshire & Essex borders England. Overcast but humid & warm weather, fantastic to just watch them!
Rob:
I live in Germany and while sitting on my front steps yesterday morning, was quite surprised to see, what I believe to be, a Hawk Moth. As I did not know what it was, had a tough time describing it to my wife. Confirm that they do live in western Germany?
Adrian:
Seen a humming bird moth and got video footage.
I live in Donegal which is northwest Ireland.
Denise Fletcher:
I have just had the joy of finding a Humming Bird Hawk Moth in my garden! he comes every evening at 6.30 to my Lavender Bush (I live in West Dorset, UK) and he is beautiful. How he comes at the same time every night I dont know but how marvellous!
Sue Edwards:
We saw four Hummingbird Hawk moths on Jasmine in our garden in Worcestershire at about 9 p.m.on the 17th June. Hoping to see more when the budlia flowers!
mark:
Got a great picture this past week at my farm in wv!
H:
I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. We have been seeing the humming bee all over the place this summer. I haven't seen any since I was a child, so it is nice to see them around once again. I guess it is a sign of our warmer climate this year.
Lester Budgell:
We saw a Humming Bird Hawk Moth, feeding on our sweet williams, here in Middle Arm, Newfoundland and Labrador Canada. There have been several sightings this past week.
bobbie:
I had never seen one of these moths either, I have a butterfly bush in the back yard and saw one the other day. Today (7pm) there are 5 of them feeding on it. I live in Washington, Pa (south of Pittsburgh)
Bill Little:
Finally saw our first Humming bee/moth. I too thought it was a small humming bird, until we saw it about three feet away. It has a head like a humming bird but a body of a large bee. Quite a site. We didn't really know what it was until I visited your web-site.
We didn't know such an animal/insect existed, until now.
Megan:
I have two of those hummingbird hawk moths in our flower garden. I live in northern Indiana. Some websites say that they live in England, but they must be wrong because they have been seen in the United States.
Ray Firehock:
Saw my first hummingibrd hawk moth this morning (17 August 2006) feeding on my butterfly bush (Buddleia) in Staunton, Virginia, USA (Shenandoah Valley).
Amazing creature. I thought it was a hummingbird, but thanks to this page I now know better. (There is an hummingbird that also frequents this bush this summer.)
Bob:
I've been trying to find out what the "thing" was flying about my garden in Fife, Scotland. It turns out to be a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. I first noticed it in August and it's been feeding on my bedding plants everyday since. I have a couple of good photo's of it.
Rick:
While in Venice, Italy we noticed a "hummingbird" feeding on gerania. A great debate ensued as to whether it was a bird or an insect. Thanks for solving this mystery. A truly unique insect.
Eileen Fleming:
In the first week of Sept 2006, I saw a hummingbird hawk moth in my garden feeding on the lavander bushes. I got some nice photos which helped me to clarify what I had seen as I had never seen one before. The hummingbird hawk moth visited the garden over the next ten days. I live in the south west of Ireland in a county called Kerry.
paula french:
I have seen my one and only hummingbird hawk moth. I live in south shields tyne and wear so was taken totally unaware what I had seen until I checked out your website.
Mike Kennedy:
June 9, 2007 Cambridge Ontario, Canada
For the first time we spotted what we thought initially was a very small, or baby hummingbird on our lilac bush. As it had the colours of a bumblebee we felt it required further research,
It was definitely a Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth. As this is the first time we have ever spotted this moth we would be interested in knowing how common the sightings are this far north and where they are indigenous to.
regards,
Mike
Rose:
I have been seeing these beautiful little critters a lot this summer during the day and evening. I was calling it the Humble bumble because I was not sure if it was a hummingbird or a bumble bee but thanks to this page I can now say it is a hummingbird moth. One question if I have missed it along the way because I am sleepy how did this hummingbird Moth get to Kenora, Ontario.
Edward Cooper:
I have a very vivid memory of when I was a small boy, sometime in the 1950s, seeing what I was convinced was a hummingbird on a cliff path in Pembrokeshire, Wales, at Druidstone, near Broad Haven. Of course, nobody believed me, and nobody came up with any alternative suggestion as to what I might have seen (and so I was crushed, and indignant that I had not been taken seriously!). Now, finally, I know that it must have been a hummingbird hawk moth!
Kevin:
I was weeding my garden, when I looked up and saw what I first thought was a hummingbird due to its flying pattern. Lingering on a flower, before moving on to the next. It was maybe 2 feet from my face, so I got a good long look at it. It had a thick, almost funnel shaped black body with two bright yellow rings . I live in Coastal NJ. Ive never seen an insect like this before, do they come in this color pattern?
Stephanie:
7.12.2008 - This little creature was under my patio umbrella during a summer rain. I saw them in my garden about 2 years ago, but not since until today. Avon Lake - Ohio.
Karen & DJ:
We live in central Ohio and just seen a Hawk Moth in one of our flower beds. DJ thought it was a baby Hummingbird at first but I remembered someone sending me a picture of the Hawk Moth and then I just had to check it out here on the internet. It wasn't a bit afraid of us and kept on feeding on the pink flower. What an experience this was for both of us.
Tina:
I just saw a hummingbird hawk moth. At first I thought it was a large bumblebee and then some really small hummingbird. I did some quick research and discovered that it was a hawk moth. I have never seen one before. I am looking forward to seeing one again.
Leigh:
Think that I had several hummingbird hawk moths today in my butterfly bush, caught digital photos: gold color body with red wings, long probe that curls to obtain nectar, saw this for the first time three years ago feeding from my petunias on deck. Can anyone confirm a species of these with the above coloration? Thanks.
Patrick Misterovich:
My son spotted a bunch of these while hunting down butterflies. He thought they were hummingbirds (maybe crossed with a lobster?) It is 3:30pm Aug 19 2008 in Springfield, MO. They are gathering nector from our red impatiens.
S&S:
Laveen AZ, Wow! Just saw our first 3 hummingbird hawk moths feeding on our Gold Mound Lantana. These ones are cream/black striped, horizontally from tip of tail to head. Smaller, secondary wings are pink (amazing) and larger front wings are gray/black. Very fast. At sundown. So happy to finally see them close up. Great show! Thanks for the website.
Alok Prasagd:
I saw this amazing insect on 5 feb ,2009 dehradun,India. Initially I thought to be smallest bird ,probably humming bird ,little bit of googling revealed it was
humming moth.
Virginia:
Apr. 6, 2009....Mon...all week off. St. Simons Island GA, planted Red Buckeye and working in the garden. Saw a female hummingbird hawk-moth laying eggs on anything and everything green. She had stripes of yellow on her carriage and she did not stand still enough for me to see her too clearly. I usually see the moths early evening on my night-blooming jasmine. I have never seen one during the day....what a great treat. So happy to provide for our critters.
martha:
I have been trying to find out what this beautiful bug was till now. About 2 years ago I had some on my Butterfly bush. They are so amazing. I love butterfly bushes. They attract so many different birds and insects.
Tammy, Newfoundland:
I thought for sure it was a tiny hummingbird! I saw one in Central Newfoundland, while camping on a warm sunny day in May.
Very tiny creature that moved like a humingbird, had a long nose like the hummingbird - only I did not see any antennae?
Deb:
I think that you all think your talking of the same moth when there are a few different kinds, here is a website with pics of 3 different ones. one only has clear wings.
http://www.birds-n-garden.com/hummingbird_moths.html
Bobbilynn:
I live in shelb co, nova scotia, Canada
I just saw one of these beautiful moths eating from my flower bush. It was a hunter orange and green color. I thought it was a baby humming bird. As I got closer I noticed two things on top of its head.
Lynne:
I live in New Brunswick, Canada. I have seen Hawk Moths in the Southern part of the province for about 14 years.
I have one who currently visits my lilac bush. Amazing little creature.
Jose:
My sister and I garden a lot along the river in Bishop's Falls. She has seen one twice in her garden and I saw one with her on one occasion. We did not know what it was but I found this site and the pictures and it seems to be what we saw. At first we thought it was a very large bumble bee and then because of the way it moved, a small hummingbird.
We have been watching for it again - camera in hand - but it hasn't returned yet.
Patrick:
I live in Elon, NC and have spotted the hummingbird hawk-moth twice this week. I will attempt to get pics of it. I'm an outdoorsman and knew this was different.
David:
7/15/09- Just met my first Hummingbird Hawk-Moth. 9:00am in dry Central Oregon. He seems to like my Dianthus.
Ari Allen:
I live in Pittsburgh, PA and I have never seen one of these before. I recently put out a hummingbird feeder but this moth was feeding on my purple petunias, it stayed quite awhile and I got some pics too. It was very colorful and I have never seen one before. I knew it was not a hummingbird but never knew this species exisited, especially in PA in the middle of a cool afternoon, Lovely!
zingara:
I live in Loudoun County,VA and have a frequent visitor in the form of a hawk moth! My neighbors butterfly bush extends over my deck, and I often see this beautiful moth feeding on his bush. I'm actually able to get quite close to it, and it has even sat on my husband's hand! Its top half is black, while the lower half is very distinct with banding of yellow and black...like a carpenter bee. We first saw this type of moth at our house about 3 years ago...hope it keeps coming!!
nicol:
I saw the other day a humming bird hawk moth at the local national park in the cuyahoga valley metropark in ohio. it was feeding on the flowers in late afternoon this august 2009 along with the bumble bees, butterflies, and wasps. it was furry lookingm flying from flower to flower, fluttering wings, and my husband and I were trying to figure out if it was a hummingbird or moth, so I investigated and found a picture that looked identical. I have never seen one prior to this and from what I have read it was a rare sighting.
Irene D. Toth:
My husband pointed out the hawk moths to us several years ago. They feed on our lantana and our butterfly bush, just as our hummingbirds do. They look so much like a hummingbird. They can hover and feed like a hummingbird. We have seen them at our plants every year for more than fifteen years. We live in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. The species we have has a red spot on its head and variegated coloring. 08/20/09
Deb:
We had our first sighting of this amazing creature in Northern Vermont in August 2009. One of us thought it was a bee, I thought it was a baby hummingbird. I was telling a friend of our sighting and she told me it was a hummingbird moth!
I hope we have another sighting. I wonder where they go in the harsh Vermont winter?
Angel:
I live in Oklahoma. I have lived here for nearly 40 years. I had never seen or heard of the 'hawk' moths until about a week ago. I have a bush of flowers in my front yard, and I thought hummingbirds were feeding at night, until my son saw antennas on them.. No way it could be a bird. Happen to mention it at work the next day, One of the teachers told me they were in a story they were reading.. Couldnt' believe my eyes!!!! They are here!!! We can get really close to them...its really cool!!!
Eric West:
I saw a Hawkmoth today, on September 29th, 2009, at roughly 3:30 PM. The temperature was roughly 20 Degrees Celsius (68 Degrees Fahrenheit), and it was sunny out, but fairly gusty.
I am 30 minutes to an hour north of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was drinking from my father's flowers. It drank only from the white ones, and ignored the purple ones. I'll get the name of the flowers from him when he comes back home.
Baley:
I live in Omaha Nebraska. I have a hawk moth. I am using it for my science project. Do you know where they live. Like as in what states, countries, or continents??
Paul Cooke:
I live in Finksburg, MD, 30 west of Baltimore, and I saw a hawk moth feeding in my garden around August 2009. It was an amazing sight to see an insect flying like a hummingbird and it didn't fly away readily when I got close to see it eating. I had to call my wife out to verify that my eyes were not playing tricks on me! Keep your eyes open folks. Seems like these little guys are travelling all over these days!
Beth Crisanto:
I live in New Egypt New Jersey, and just spotted a hawk moth in my flower garden, which is populated with petunias, salvia, and vincas. It had a long 'beaklike' feature and I had at first thought it was a hummingbird. It was mainly green with black and copper markings near its tail end. Its wings seemed lacey and reddish brown. Unfortunately it flew off before I was able to get a picture of it. It was around 4:30 pm 11 July 2010.
It was wonderful to watch it up close as it flitted from flower to flower!
Sandra Reed:
Thank you for your very informative site. We just saw our very first hawk moth at our summer camp in Colden, New York. We have hung numerous hummer feeders and they come by the numbers, as well as honey bees (we have left a guard off of one so they may feed) but this moth was a first! We have so many hummers, I assumed it was one of their babies in the verbena until I got a closer look. What an amazing little creature. Anyone that appreciates the incredible wonders of nature has to believe in God too! What a gift he has given us.
Dotty Westgate:
I saw one yesterday - July 22, 2010 - in Princeton, NJ, early in the evening. I'd never seen anything like it, but called the Extension office in hopes that they could identify it by description, and they did! What a find!
sam:
I seen one for the first time today 7-26-10 In the Indiana Dunes national lake shore at dusk
I had to look it up when I got home, I was confused.
Elaine Stevenson:
I live in Indiana and last night I spotted an unusual looking hummingbird/moth type thing. We have the usual hummingbird moths, but this was really different. It was quite a bit larger and was green and gold on its quite wide back. Is this a hawk moth?
wanda kryzwick:
I live in seymour ct. I saw in July of 2009 a group of the hummingbird hawk moths, flying around my Buddleia( butterfly) bushes We got a picture of an orange and black one, a green one with wings dow n showing a deep yellowish colorin the middle. We also saw a white cremish color with brown, and a brown with some white. all the ones I saw had the same body shape They stayed for six weeks then left. Everyone thought I was nuts now I know what they are and hope they come back this year 2010.
Andrew Rutherford:
I took a video of one I saw today. I live in Dallas, Georgia, USA. The one I saw had vibrant yellowish-green rings around its tail area.
nancy:
We saw a hummingbird hawk moth feeding in St. Paul, MN! Very exciting -- hope there will be more this summer!
Sally Bradley:
I live in Victoria Australia and saw a hawk moth in the garden just on dusk feeding on the petunias what a fantastic sight .At night several are attracted to the lights around the house.
David O'Hara:
I live in the south west slopes of nsw. I first became aware of the delightful moth a couple of years ago. My kids and I counted about 15 moths last night 28/3/11 and have been slowly increasing in number, I have counted a few this morning feeding. I have a Lantana bush just outside my front door and these little creatures give me such joy to watch.
