A hummingbird moth! Yes, you read that right, a moth that looks like a hummingbird in almost every detail, yet is not even the same type of animal. How can an insect copy a bird so well? The answer lies in a process called convergent evolution. This AnimalSake article explores the mysterious world of hummingbird moths.
What Is Convergent Evolution?
Convergent evolution happens when two unrelated species end up with the same features, even though they evolved separately. They face the same survival challenge (in this case, hovering to drink nectar) and nature finds the same solution twice. Scientists call this result homoplasy: similar structures that look alike and do the same job, even in animals that are not related.
Hummingbird Moth Facts
Hummingbird moths look almost like the birds they are named after. Like all moths, they have a special feeding tube called a proboscis. This long, curled tube is pushed into a flower to sip up the nectar inside.
Thanks to convergent evolution, these moths can hover over flowers while they feed, just like hummingbirds do. Only four animals have evolved the ability to hover and feed in this way: hummingbirds, hummingbird moths, certain bats, and hoverflies.
Like hummingbirds, these moths can stay in the air for as long as they need to feed. They can also fly sideways and backwards.
When the moths hover, their wings beat so fast they make a humming sound. This makes the hummingbird moth look, move, and sound like a bird.
These moths like the same flowers as hummingbirds. Their favorites include verbenas, red valerian, butterfly bush, salvia, and cardinals.
Hummingbird moths are 1-2 inches smaller than the birds. They have six long, visible legs, which is the insect body plan. Their feet are so tiny that you can barely see them when the moth is flying.
Look closely and you will spot two antennae on a hummingbird moth's head. Its proboscis curls in and out as needed. A real hummingbird has no antennae, and its long needle-like bill is stiff, it cannot curl up.
One more difference: hummingbird moths have a second, smaller pair of forewings at the front of their wings.
Take the Hummingbird Moth Quiz!
5 quick questions. Can you tell the moth from the bird?
Types of Hummingbird Moths
There are three main groups of hummingbird moths, each from a different genus. Let's look at each one.
Hummingbird Hawk-moths
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Macroglossum
Species: Macroglossum stellatarum
Interesting Facts
The hummingbird hawk moth Macroglossum stellatarum is common throughout Southern Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It prefers warm climates and can survive Asian winters, but it rarely survives the cold winters at northern latitudes.
What makes Macroglossum stellatarum special among hawk-moths is that it can keep flying even in the rain.
This moth is also diurnal, it is active during the day and can be spotted hovering in bright sunshine or at sunset. Scientists think its daytime lifestyle means it has excellent color vision and can learn which flowers are best to visit.
All hawk moths are medium to large insects. Even so, they are known for flying fast and hovering longer than most moths. Their long abdomen and long wings give them this flying advantage.
Life Cycle of Hummingbird Hawk-moth
Eggs: These moths produce two broods per year. The eggs are round, small, and pale green. The female moth lays over 180-200 eggs on various Galium plants, which act as the host. It takes approximately 6 to 10 days for the eggs to hatch.
Larval Stage: The larvae hatch pale yellow, then turn green at the second instar stage. Like all sphingid moths, the larvae have a distinct maroon horn at the rear. In the final instar this horn turns blue with reddish tips. The larval stage lasts about 20 days.
Pupae Stage: The pupa forms inside a silken cocoon near the base of the host plant, hidden among dead leaves. Its brown color acts as camouflage. The front has horns that protect the folded proboscis inside. Two spiky horns at the rear help defend the pupa from predators.
Adult Moth: The adult hummingbird hawk-moth emerges with two pairs of wings. The hindwings are smaller, shorter, and brownish-orange. The wingspan is around 1.6-1.8 inches. The abdomen is long and broad, with a fluffy fan of setae at the tip, giving it a tail that looks almost like a bird's.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are hummingbird moths actually related to hummingbirds?
No, they are moths in the family Sphingidae. They look similar due to convergent evolution.
What do hummingbird moths eat?
They feed on nectar from flowers such as verbena, red valerian, butterfly bush, and salvia.
Are hummingbird moths nocturnal or diurnal?
The Macroglossum stellatarum hawk-moth is diurnal, it is active during the day, flying in bright sunshine.
Clearwing Hummingbird Moths
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Hemaris
Species: Hemaris thysbe
A Genus Apart: Clearwing Hummingbird Moths
The Macroglossum hawk-moths are closely related to the North American genus Hemaris. In the US, Hemaris moths are simply called hummingbird moths or clearwing hummingbird moths.
These moths are found across North and South America and parts of Europe, including the UK, where they are known as Bee Hawk-moths.
As the name suggests, clearwing moths have transparent wings that make them easy to tell apart from other moths.
Out of the 17 known diurnal species of Hemaris moths, two (Hemaris rubra and Hemaris croatica) do not have clear wings.
Clearwing moths prefer honeysuckle and teasel as host plants for laying their eggs.
Their life cycle is similar to the hawk-moth's, except the pupae are flatter. Clearwing moths are also smaller than hawk-moths, with a rounder body and a shorter wingspan.
White-lined Sphinx
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Hyles
Species: Hyles lineata
Interesting Facts
Also known as the hummingbird moth in the US, the white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) has bold white and tan stripes all along its body and wings from base to tip.
It has a large wingspan that ranges between 2-3 inches.
This moth also hovers while feeding, makes humming sounds, and behaves like a hummingbird.
The Hyles lineata is found all over Central America and much of the US, in warmer parts of Canada, and in southern Mexico and the West Indies.
It is mainly found in California, where it is one of the main pollinators of the Lilium parryi, the lemon lily plant.
The larvae are usually blackish-yellow, then grow green with black stripes and dots. They burrow into the soil to form a pupa and stay there for 20-25 days.
Now that you know what to look for, you will never mix up the hummingbird moth and the bird again, next time one zips past you, you will know exactly what you are looking at!
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