Have You Seen A Hummingbird Moth? Here Are 10 Facts That Will Amaze
Is it a bird? Is it a bug? Whatever it is, this wing-beating creature is sure to cause you to do a double take! Meet the hummingbird moth. It’s one of the most fascinating insects (yes, it’s an insect!) to roam the garden. Here are 10 facts that will amaze you:
10 Fascinating Facts About The Hummingbird Moth
1) Hummingbird moth is the common name used for the genus Hemaris, which include: Hummingbird Hawk-Moth, Sphinx moth, Common Clearwing Hummingbird moth, Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird moth, Five-Spotted Hawkmoth, and White-Lined Sphinx.
2) Loathed by gardeners, the tomato or tobacco hornworm caterpillar that you see munching on your tomato plants will eventually morph into a Hawk moth, or Sphinx moth, each a type of hummingbird moth.
3) The moths featured in the 1991 film, The Silence of the Lambs were death’s head hawk moths, a type of hummingbird moth (of the Sphingidae family of moths, in the genus Hemaris). According to IMDb, the moths were treated like celebrities. “They were flown first class… and had special living quarters.”
4) The fast-moving hummingbird moth has a rapid wingbeat up to 70 beats per second (depending on the species), enabling it to fly up to 12 mph.
5) Instead of a beak like a hummingbird, it has a long tongue-like proboscis that rolls out of its coiled tube to reach the nectar deep inside flowers. Its tongue is about double the length of the moth’s body.
6) It has large, menacing eyes that appear to warn predators to keep their distance. Also protecting it from potential predators is its close resemblance to a bird, instead of a bug.
7) They range in length from 2—2.5 inches long and are covered in gray hair that resembles feathers, with white, rust or brown markings or variations. Their wingspan ranges from 2 to 6 inches depending on the species. The Snowberry Clearwing moth has clear wings.
8) The hummingbird moth can be found not only in North America, but in Europe, Africa, and Asia. They have a wide range in the US from Texas and Florida to Maine and Alaska.
9) After mating, the female moth lays eggs on plant leaves such as honeysuckle, cherries, hawthorns, and viburnums. The hatched caterpillar feeds on its host bush or vine.
10) These moths actively feed on flower nectar in the daytime, but you may also get a glimpse of one feeding at dusk on night-blooming flowers such as the evening primrose or night blooming jasmine.
Join The Discussion!
Have you seen one of these fascinating creatures?
Where are you based? Please share your photos with us here.
Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
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Deborah Tukua
Deborah Tukua is a natural living, healthy lifestyle writer and author of 7 non-fiction books, including Pearls of Garden Wisdom: Time-Saving Tips and Techniques from a Country Home, Pearls of Country Wisdom: Hints from a Small Town on Keeping Garden and Home, and Naturally Sweet Blender Treats. Tukua has been a writer for the Farmers' Almanac since 2004.
Thank you for the information. I saw one of these 2 days ago while watering my flowers(near Fond du Lac, WI). I had no idea what it was. It was interesting to learn about it on your site. I hope I can see some more of these interesting creatures.
Forgot to mention I’m in Nashville, Tennessee.
Saw my first ever Hummingbird Moth in 2022. Didn’t have my camera or phone to get picture, but they were the cutest things ever. There were 4 or 5 of them and they were flying quickly from Moonflower to Moonflower. It was around 8:00 p.m. when I saw them. None in 2023, but had a couple this year, 2024. They are such a surprise when you see them the first time. Came in and told my husband I saw something that looked like a Hummingbird, but he said it had to be some type of moth. Looked online and discovered it was indeed a “Hummingbird Moth.” (We were both half right.)
Do they like autumn clematis?
Seen my first one yesterday in my flower garden. Alabama
Gorgeous! Thank you for sharing!
Oroville, CA
Saw one, Oroville, CA
These are excellent! Thank you for sharing!
We live in North Idaho
We have hummingbird moths. Killed my clematis vine. But they are pretty
I saw one today in downtown McAllen
Photographed a hummingbird moth at Mohican State Forest, Ohio, USA. Hard to follow, it was so quick!!
We have two that come every dusk. One is a tiny baby. We live in Swift Current, Saskatchewan Canada.
Saw one last night while watering my phlox. I had to look up what it was. We’re in northern lower Michigan
Just saw Hummingbird moth in our backyard in Raynham Mass
Love them! They’re so cool!
Hummingbird moths
Few years ago I fell in love with the look and fragrance of night blooming Datura Inoxia (jimson weed) so I got seeds and grew them. I would sit on porch after dark and see little flying things with glowing eye’s flittered from flower to flower. Had to get rid of the invasive jimson weed. But thankfully they do like other flowers. So far I’ve seen the grey one with pink on it’s abdomen, the rust one with big eye’s one either wing, and the yellow and black bumble bee one.
I saw my first hummingbird hawk moth here in southern NM. I have video and also video of it and a hummingbird fighting over lantana flowers.
Just saw a hummingbird moth in South Mississippi. Got a good video too. It’s a very weird thing to see. I mean… I’m 40 years old and been in the woods and waters hunting and fishing the whole time and I aint never even heard of these guys. It’s still flying around the flowers in my yard as I’m typing this…. And it’s been dark for about 30 minutes already…. Like I said very strange and weird.
Just saw one for the 3rd evening in a row here I south Mississippi. Very cool.
Last August 2023 while sitting in the garage, I happened to look up in time to see a group of about 8 to 10 hummingbird hawk moths flying in a group about 10 foot above the ground and maybe 12 feet away. It was amazing. I just found an article online that said they do indeed fly in groups and have been observed flying across the English Channel. I live in Oklahoma.
I love hummingbird moths 😀
WOW! What a fun thing to see!
Out watering the garden here in Orillia and I’m blessed with a sighting of a Clearwing Hummingbird moth with his long proboscis on my phlox.. Second time seeing one and this time he hung around for awhile. Always a double take thinking baby???? hummingbird! lol
Just saw a Hummingbird moth in Dracut Mass. Got lots of video that I cannot post
I forgot to mention the location: Middleton MA
I just took this photo of a hummingbird moth on my butterfly bush.
South East Oklahoma
I have seen what I thought was a hummingbird in my flower garden mostly on my butterfly bush’s. I didn’t try to approach it took a video of with my phone, and still thought it was a hummingbird. I didn’t want to scare it so I wasn’t too close but today I saw it again on the butterfly bush so I approached it slowly and got close enough to see in better detail and I didn’t know what it was bee,hummingbird but after doing some research I was directed to this page. I would have never guessed it was a moth. Learn something every day.
I thought that I was seeing hummingbirds in my flower garden
Picture taken Cranberry Glade located in WV. The plant is fireweed.
Saw one today in Goshen, NY.
Thanks for the info- we saw one of these hummingbird moths in Augusta County, Virginia this eve and had no idea what it was!!
Bee, hummy head, lobster tail, w long antenna!
We were so confused when we first saw the hummingbird moth at a recent backyard bbq. Giant bee? Tiny hummingbird with a bee bottom? Weird lobster like flying bee bug? No one there knew what is was. But once we identified it, it made sense. It was such a delightful and puzzling species to encounter.
They surely are an odd one! Beautiful, even a little scary at first (that would be one big bee!!)!
Morning shot of hummingbird moth at a nearby nature trail…
Hello everyone I’m very happy to say I have the pleasure of a hummingbird moth, I believe my cat chased it into the house, it turned up a few times, I never understood how beautiful the humming bird moth was until I went near it I lightly touched it, then to my amazement, fluttering about me I saw what looked like the tiniest hummingbird so beautiful, just like a fairy, I feel in love with its beautiful appearance, I gave it a little honey with water, it went out of sight, until the evening when i noticed my cat bothering it again, i placed it in a bowl with flowers and leaves, it’s just had breakfast honey and water, and is avery happy buzzing like a bee. I have put it in a room with my birds, for safety.
I saw a hummingbird moth last night in Philo, Illinois. Not a great photo below as it was dusk. It was feeding on flowering tobacco.
Oh that is wonderful! We love to see our readers Hummingbird moth photos! Thank you for sharing!
Had one of these in our garden today, Norfolk UK, had no idea what it was till I found this page
We are happy to hear you were able to welcome a new little visitor to your garden!
Just seen a hummingbird moth at dusk feeding on nicotiana, in the highlands of Scotland, it was huge
I have several visit my Lantana every evening. It’s the 2nd yr. I’ve seen them in my GA garden. Tonight I was putting a bouquet of cut flowers together on my back patio & as I’m holding the bouquet one flew up & started feeding on the Zinnias & Ironweed I’d picked. They’re super quick…I could feel a breeze across my hand from his little wings going.
24th of September 2023 Shirley Surrey, UK . I’ve just seen this amazing hummingbird moth . Absolutely beautiful it was getting nectar out of of a busy Lizzy ..
Another view in Strasbourg.
These are so lovely! Thank you for sharing these with us!
My zinnias in Strasbourg, France.
I have these all the time. This is the biggest one yet! We live in Crescent Valley Nevada.
Wow! That is a big one! Thank you for sharing.
today! atlantic beach ny
We love these! Thank you for sharing this one – it’s great!
While watering potted plants in my yard July this year I first spotted this fascinating little creature buzzing around my phlox flowers. Thinking it was a different variety of hummingbird until I realized what I thought was a beak was really its tongue. The next evening I sat next to my phlox and sure enough not one but 2 appeared , I was hooked, every night I waited, every night one came to feed off my potted phlox.
So fascinating!!!
I’ve lived in California since the 50’s. We’ve always had tomato hornworms (Sphinx moths), but this is the first year that I’ve seen them feeding.
They are feeding on society garlic flowers. Downey, CA.
Ridgecrest, CA. – Tons on my front yard tree last night.
Saw tons of these in my front yard tree last night. We also thought they were Baby Hummingbirds, until I researched them this morning. I don’t have a pic, but they flew really close to my head and they fly extremely quick.
Saw this cute little guy and had no idea what it was until I accidentally came across this article. Picture taken in my back garden on the 2nd July 2022 in Adderbury, Oxfordshire, South East England
That sure is a cutie! Thank you for sharing with us here!
We saw this cute little guy on the 2nd July 2022 and had no idea what it was until I accidentally came across this article. I am in Adderbury, Oxfordshire, South East England
Had my first visit at dusk tonite., West Slope Sierras Northern California, he zipped about the nasty plants, & geraniums, I thought I was having visions, ha ha, thanks for your info on them, here 21 years and never seen here before.
This little guy loves Pepsi. He showed up about 2 weeks ago. I thought it was a baby hummingbird until my step daughter told me it was an insect instead. He shows up every day to get his Pepsi fix in Jasper, Florida
Oh wow! We know which side this moth is on for the cola wars!