Fascinating Facts- Hummingbird Moths
The next time you’re by a flower bed and you notice something that looks like a hummingbird zooming by, look again! It could easily be a hummingbird moth, a lesser-known but crucial pollinator.
What Is a Hummingbird Moth?
Sphinx moths are individual fliers, the ones that make most backyard gardeners think, “What was that thing?” For many, it’s a hummingbird or bumblebee at first glance. The moths visit flowers for food during the day and can hover as they do so, as hummingbirds do. This has also earned them the nickname hummingbird moth. In North America, four species are considered hummingbird moths: the hummingbird clearwing moth, the white-lined sphinx moth, the snowberry clearwing moth and the slender clearwing moth.
Hummingbird Moths: Why They’re Also Called Sphinx Moths and Hawk Moths
Hummingbird moths are also referred to as sphinx moths. Here’s the intriguing reason it is. When the caterpillars bring their heads up, the rest of their bodies stay flat. They are much like the pose of the statue of the mythological Sphinx in Egypt that guards the tombs of the pharaohs.
Sphinx moths are also known as hawk moths or hummingbird hawk moths; their streamlined wings enable them to be fast, agile fliers. They are also known at times as bee moths or bee hawk moths.
What Does an Hummingbird Moth Do?
Hummingbird moths have fat, fuzzy antennae that are wider at the top. The majority of the body is covered by long hairs, not feathers. They also have six legs (like all other insects). They also possess clear spots on their wings. Clear-winged sphinx moths, like the snowberry clearwing, have wings that become clear soon after they emerge from the cocoon. Their bodies are fat like bumblebees.
What Does a Hummingbird Moth Caterpillar Look Like?
- Look for the distinctive horn to identify these caterpillars.
- Full-grown, the caterpillars are roughly the diameter of your little finger, smooth, with a pointy horn at the tail end.
- Stop the tomato horn-worm from ruining your tomatoes.
Are hummingbirds and hummingbird moths the same thing?
Hummingbird moths can look a lot like the real deal. But moths are insects, not birds — and the hummingbird in question is nothing of the sort. The most noticeable difference between a young albatross and a gull is their size. Hummingbird moths tend to be smaller, ranging from 1 to 2 inches. Hummingbirds range between 3 and 4 inches in length.
Don’t forget the beautiful luna moth
Are Hummingbird Moths Rare?
The hummingbird moths you’ll see most often in your garden are called snowberry clearwings and hummingbird clearwings. Slender clearwings are rare in portions of their range.
If you catch a hummingbird-sized moth zipping through your garden at night, you’re likely seeing a sphinx moth. Because these moths are day and night movers, you’ll want to plant flowers that bloom post sunset, such as moonflower, to help draw them in.
Facts About Hummingbird Moths
- A Hummingbird Moth Can Hover the Way Hummingbirds Do
- Like hummingbirds, hummingbird moths have a tail that fans out as they hover in place to sip nectar from flowers.
- Say hello to the milkweed tussock moth and caterpillar.
- Coping Cows Do (What Else?) Drink Milk.
In your flower garden, plant phlox, bee balm or other pollinator favorites to attract hummingbird moths. Like butterflies, the moths have an extra-long proboscis for sipping nectar, and sometimes twice the length of their body. Sphinx moths tend to favor tube-shaped flowers with nectar deep in the base of the petals, like columbines, nasturtiums and four-o’clocks.
Hummingbird Fascinating Moths
Hummingbird Moths Are Not Attracted to the Color Red
Unlike hummingbirds, hummingbird moths can’t go right to red flowers. Tube-shaped flowers of any color attract day fliers, while white or pale-colored fragrant blooms summon the sphinx moth corps in the evening by sight as well as odor.
- Fast Top Flight Speed
- White-lined sphinx moth
These are some fast-moving pollinators! White-lined sphinx moths have a top speed of 25–35 mph, almost exactly the same range as average hummingbird flight speed.
Next up, colorful moths you can spot during the day.
FAQ
Are hummingbird moths dangerous?
No, hummingbird moths don’t pose any danger to humans. They neither sting nor bite, and they are harmless. They are insects that feed on nectar, like bees or butterflies. They help with pollination.
Hummingbird moth size?
Among2moth species, Hummingbird moths are fairly large. Their wings measure 1.5 to 2.5 inches (4 to 6 cm)-they can vary length wise between species.
Are hummingbird moths rare?
They’re not necessarily rare – though when and where you encounter them can be variable. They are usually associated with places having abundance of flowering plants.
Hummingbird moth caterpillar?
Many hummingbird moth caterpillars are green or brown and have a noticeable “horn” at the rear. It looks like a little hornworm and eats plants such as honeysuckle.
Hummingbird moth Florida?
The hummingbird moth occurs in Florida, mostly in gardens with plenty of nectar. They can be found year-round due to the area’s warm weather.
Hummingbird moth lifespan?
How long do hummingbird moths live? A hummingbird moth’s lifespan varies by species and environment. Generally, adults live for a few weeks.
Hummingbird moth range map?
They live across North America from the United States and southern Canada to Mexico. The ranges differ for members of the species. Some are temperate, while others are tropical.
MD Imdadul Haque is the founder of BirdzFly, a research-backed resource on North American backyard birds. Drawing on years of independent study into bird identification, behavior, and migration patterns, he writes in-depth guides designed to help US birders understand the species in their own backyards — from common feeder visitors to seasonal migrants passing through.
