Hummingbird Hawk-moth
Macroglossum stellatarum
A faux hummingbird hovering for nectar by day
The Hummingbird Hawk-moth has a stout, spindle-shaped body and flies by day, hovering to drink nectar just like a hummingbird, with wingbeats reaching 70–90 per second. Its proboscis (feeding tube) unfurls longer than its own body; since China has no native hummingbirds, it is often mistaken for one.
Key figures
- Length
- About 20 mm long with a wingspan of about 40–45 mm, stout and spindle-shaped
- Life cycle
- In warm regions several generations occur each year, and adults remain active over a long period
- Habitat
- Gardens, fields, and forest edges rich in flowering plants; active during the day
- Diet
- Adults hover to drink nectar from a variety of tubular flowers; larvae feed on plants in the madder family (Rubiaceae)
- Hovering
- Wingbeats can reach 70–90 per second, letting it hover in place like a hummingbird to feed
- Proboscis
- The proboscis is extremely long and thin, extending to more than its own body length when unfurled, to reach deep into a flower for nectar
Life cycle
Egg → Larva → Pupa → Adult
Ecological role
The Hummingbird Hawk-moth visits flowers and pollinates by day, making it one of the important pollinators in temperate regions; its larvae feed exclusively on plants in the madder family (Rubiaceae), forming part of the leaf-feeding insect community on those plants.
Did you know
It doesn't hover by riding on air — it tracks the flower visually, making over a hundred adjustments per second; even as wind sways the flower, its proboscis tip stays locked onto the flower's center.
Range
Most of China, widespread across Eurasia and North Africa
Status
Common
Anatomy
- Proboscis — The long, thin proboscis coils when not in use and can extend to more than the moth's own body length
- Forewing — The narrow, grayish-brown forewings blur into a haze when beating at high speed
- Hindwing — The orange-yellow hindwings are tucked beneath the forewings during hovering and hard to see
- Antennae — The short, thick, club-shaped antennae stay relatively steady during hovering flight
- Compound eyes — The large compound eyes are highly sensitive to changes in light, suited to its daytime activity
- Abdomen — A fan of scales at the tip of the abdomen resembles a bird's tail and helps with balance while hovering
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