A really beautiful hawk moth that flies by day, hovers like a bird and regularly migrates. Not a threatened species, but well-worth encouraging!
Macroglossum stellatarum (the Hummingbird Hawk moth) is unusual in that he can hover and flies during the day. He migrates from his stronghold in the south every summer, when he can be seen all over Europe. The larvae seem to prefer ‘bedstraws’ and the adults will drink nectar from a wide variety of flowers. (You can see images of all stages of the life-cycle here.).
The adult Hummingbird Hawk moth sets up a routine for his normal daily feeding and seems to fly his ‘circuit’ by the clock, so if you see one on such-and-such a flower at 11.00 one morning he will be there again tomorrow and the next day etc.. This makes him very easy to watch once you have first located him.
I saw my first Hummingbird Hawk moth several years ago one summer in the Auvergne (France). The sun was very bright and I noticed iridescent dartings around a huge lavender bush. Definitely hummingbirds I thought, and a quick jog through the memory banks revealed that they shouldn't be there in France. A new discovery! Creeping a bit closer he seemed to get smaller, and trying to go even nearer he simply vanished. “Quel domage” I thought “I will never see him again, and no-one will ever believe my new sighting!" (I soon realised they were all over France.)
Hummingbird Hawk moths regularly visit my lavender bush (planted specially for them) just outside my window in Villenueve de Duras (SW France). Their regular daily routine makes them easy to see, but I have found them impossible to photograph (others have had more success! Look here). None of the Nature Guides do them justice, and they are well worth the effort of lying in the sun sipping wine near a lavender bush! Keep your eyes open for small (2 cm max) furry - yes furry - little bird-shaped bodies darting and hovering around lavender in bright sunshine. Get close enough and you will be able to make out a long tongue probing the flowers and a blur of wings encasing a subdued iridescence.
I intend to plant some Lady’s Bedstraw in Villenueve this year because it smells so nice and I will be able to watch the caterpillars as well as the adults!
Consider turning part of your garden into a wild garden.
The copyright of the article Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Other Insects is owned by John Blatchford. Permission to republish Hummingbird Hawkmoth in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I saw one of this in Columbus, Ohio on August 17th 2008 in my back yard
around my flowers. I look it up on this site since I did not know what it
was. The site does not talk about it being native to the USA. Is this a
common insect that is found in the USA?
Aug 19, 2008 4:14 PM
Guest :
I just saw one in London Ontario. I also was not sure what it was until
looking it up on this site
Aug 22, 2008 1:04 PM
Guest :
I have photos and a small video of one of these I saw one a couple years
ago but it looked like a huge bee same color black and gold. This year I
saw one just like this,and got the pics to prove it however I live in
pittsburgh pa and was wondering same thing did not say any in usa
Aug 28, 2008 8:14 AM
Guest :
I have recently seen one of these in my garden in Sarnia, Ontario, several
times. After many years of gardening, this is the first time I have seen
such a moth and was very curious about it.
Aug 30, 2008 7:07 PM
Guest :
I saw one of these in Albany, New York on August 22nd 2008 in my front yard
visiting my impatients. It had a green body, a brown tail, and irridescent
wings. I had no idea what it was, until I looked it up on this site. I also
see that the site doesn't say anything about them being native to the USA.
I would like to know also if they are commonly found now in the USA.
Sep 1, 2008 9:08 AM
Guest :
I am a meter reader and after 3 years, I have finally seen the hummingbird
Hawkmoth. Thank you for posting this website as I have been wondering what
these cool critters are. I've seen 3 in the last month and they are so cool
to watch.
Sep 14, 2008 6:35 AM
Guest :
I took a fantastic picture of one of these humming bird moths,front on with
wings flapping at high speed and proboscis into the flower.I had never seen
one before and only your site enlightened me.This was taken on the
peloponese, mainland greece while on holiday sept 2008
Sep 24, 2008 5:45 AM
Guest :
We have just returned from a holiday near the Gironde river in France. 2 of
these moths fed each day on the flowers of a sage plant. The owner of the
property seemed to know nothing about them and looked quite bemused when we
tried to describe them (or perhaps that was due to our French). Anyway
thanks for helping us identify them.
Sep 26, 2008 2:11 PM
Guest :
I swear I saw something like this my backyard in Dallas Tx. It went into
the grass and dissappeared before I could get a real good look at it.
That's why I am here.
Sep 30, 2008 2:18 PM
Guest :
i saw one on my honeymoon in italy (grado) and thought it was a bird untill
i looked a little closer !
Oct 14, 2008 4:14 PM
Guest :
I live in Savannah, Ga and my husband just called me outside to check these
out. There were 6 or 7 of them swarming around my Ginger Lilies. They
were very bold and started to dive after us as if they wanted us to leave.
I saw these a 2 years ago when my Moon Flower was in bloom also, but have
never seen this many at one time. I'm glad I found out what they were.
What an experience! blg
Feb 14, 2009 5:54 PM
Guest :
We don't have this species in America, but we do have many others in the
same family (Sphingidae), and a lot of them look like hummingbirds. A
great site for identification is
<http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/>, where you can even see what
species live in your county. Another great site, for all insects, spider,
etc., but just for the U.S., is
<http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740>. You can browse pictures or
post your own and ask for identification.
Mar 12, 2009 6:46 PM
Guest :
I have pictures of this moth on our Four O'Clock flowers. It returned
habitually just as this article states. We live in Terry, Mississippi. I
guess they may be native to this area, but this was my first view of the
moth and I've lived here for almost 50 years.
Mar 16, 2009 9:20 PM
Guest :
I saw something similar this afternoon in Baton Rouge, LA (USA). It didn't
seem as furry, but it hovered just like a hummingbird & poked a beak or
proboscis down into my citrus tree blossoms. It looked like a tiny
hummingbird, even imitating the birdlike tail. However, upon careful
examination, I could see the tiny insect legs under the body. Fascinating.
Had never seen one previously.
Mar 25, 2009 1:33 PM
Guest :
My wife and were cooking dinner on our deck last night, March 24, 2009, in
Rowlett, Texas and spotted one of these beauties. We track all of the
little visitors to our backyard, and have been keeping a journal on the
dates of our Hummingbirds. The irony of seeing this guy was we saw for the
first time this year a Ruby Throated Hummingbird. TLB in Texas
Apr 5, 2009 5:14 AM
Guest :
I just saw, what I think must be a hummingbird moth in my garden. I had to
look it up on line as I had never seen any insect like that before. At
first I thought it was a bumblebee because of its furry body, but the wings
were beating too fast, just like a hummingbird, and the bodyshape was
wrong; also it had this long black proboscis and long thin legs a bit like
a cranefly, but I did not see any orange colouring - my creature was buff
to dark brown and black and I thought its wings were clear, although I
could not swear to that. I also thought that its back end was more rounded,
but it never landed on the flowers, just hovering above them using its
proboscis like a hummingbird. It fed on forget-me-nots, narcissus and
pansies. Angelika Watson, Harlow, Essex, England, guest.
Apr 18, 2009 6:25 AM
Guest :
I saw one of these insects sucking nectar from a plant in my garden today
in Cape Town, South Africa. I managed to catch in on a photograph. I
thought at first it was some kind of bee or wasp, but was amazed to see how
it hovered like a hummingbird. Only on looking it up in a book and then on
the Internet did I find out that it was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. What a
beautiful insect. I sincerely hope that it visits again so that I can get
more photos. I live on the slopes of Devil's Peak close to the Table
Mountain National Park. Recently there was a fire that burnt the entire
mountainside. I think the insects have needed to move further down the
mountainside to seek flowers, and that could be why it was visiting my
garden.
Jun 7, 2009 6:31 AM
Guest :
I believe we had one in Appleton WIsconsin this week. It had 2 yellow
stripes on its back (crosswise between wings and tail) and we first thought
is was a huge bee feeding ot a flowereing bush.
Jul 18, 2009 3:59 AM
Guest :
Hi i have just seen my first Hummingbird Hawkmoth today Sun 18th July i
live in Dewsbury West Yorkshire is this a first so far North. D.Scott
Jul 18, 2009 5:02 AM
John Blatchford :
Certainly the furthest north in England that I have heard about. John.
Jul 24, 2009 12:27 AM
Guest :
I saw one in Peterborough England UK, in 2007. It is native here, but very
very rare. It was one of the most gracefull creatures I have ever seen.
Jul 25, 2009 8:17 AM
Guest :
I rescued a hummingbird hawk from my swimming pool yesterday. I held it in
my hand until it was dry and I thought would fly away. However, it doesn't
seem to be able to fly and would rather relax in the the comfort of my
hand. Right now, it is perched on a petunia, but I'm afraid it will die if
it doesn't move on. Can anyone offer any suggestions?
Aug 6, 2009 7:26 PM
Guest :
Doesn't look like anyone has posted recently, but I had 2 of these
hawkmoths fluttering at my head this afternoon!!! I am in Northeast
Georgia!!! I have never before seen a hawkmoth, but once I saw the
antannae and long "tongue", I knew it wasn't a hummingbird!
Gorgeous, fearless little creatures! My kids watched as they gathered
nectar from some "needle and thread" flowers next to the carport!
Can't wait to see them again.
Aug 16, 2009 5:16 AM
Guest :
Does anyone know if these creatures can live as far north as Pennsylvania?
The variety I have seen has a lot of orange on the top of its body, near
it's head.
Aug 19, 2009 10:15 AM
John De Laloe-Fox :
My wife and I have just spotted a Hawkmoth feeding on phlox in our garden,
we have never seen one before and living in the North of England, in
Scunthorpe North Lincolnshire we thought it was quite rare, on looking it
up on the internet and gaining more information, we now look forward to see
if it returns to feed on a regular basis, I did manage to get some good
photo`s of it
Aug 27, 2009 10:49 AM
Guest :
There's a farm (http://www.rockhillorchard.com/) on Rt. 27 in Damascus Md
that has a pick your own flower garden. I usually go there to purchase
peaches and to pick flowers with my sons because there are tons of
butterflies. Last year I saw the freakiest looking insect ever. But I only
caught a glimpse. I went back this year and I saw it again, but this time I
got a closer look. I couldn't tell if it was a insect or humming bird, but
turns out it was a Hawk Moth. I snapped several photos of it that I'm
printing for the kids.
Sep 6, 2009 4:51 AM
Guest :
Last night around two in the morning, after trying unsuccessfully to
sleep, I stumbled into the living room and turned on the light. Darting
around the room was this mammoth creature rapidly fluttering its wings and
emitting a barely audible humming sound. When it finally rested on a wicker
basket, I had it figured for a hummingbird. I carefully covered it with a
glass and moved it and the basket out into the night where I released it.
I told the teachers at my school that a hummingbird had somehow made its
way into our house late at night, and everyone looked skeptical. Now I'm
sure that it was a hawkmoth, but aren't they diurnal? My husband is
disappointed that I didn't wake him up!
Sep 10, 2009 6:35 PM
Guest :
I saw one at a gas station in Louisianna (by the bayou). It was about
11:00pm and it was flying aroud the lights. It was furry like a bird, wings
like a hummingbird, but bug like also. My husband first thought it was a
tiny bat.
Oct 19, 2009 2:44 PM
Guest :
Dublin, Texas - I spotted several in our hummingbird/butterfly garden
today. They let me get within a couple of feet so I noticed their legs and
looked up "hummingbird insect." This site topped Google's
results so I thought I'd let you know they are in North Central Texas too.
Nov 3, 2009 7:16 AM
Guest :
Saw one today in my garden in South Wales, United Kingdom taking nectar
from my large purple salvia. Beutiful insect.
