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| So you think you saw a baby hummingbird,
but you just couldn't explain those antennae. Did you even think maybe nature
gives baby hummingbirds feathers that mimic antennae to disguise the vulnerable
baby? Maybe they fall off when they get to a certain age... NOT!!
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| What you saw was probably one of
these little guys; moths from the Sphingidae family. We often see these
White-lined sphinx moths on a late August evening. They come in flocks,
playing "follow the leader", zipping from one clump of phlox to the next.
They range in body length from 3/4" to about 2" and are in the same family
as the Hummingbird Clearwing moth (one of two members of family Sphingidae
that actually carries the name "Hummingbird")
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In your internet travels
you may notice that people often call the White-lined sphinx moth moth
"THE Hummingbird Moth". Technically, only two members of the Sphingidae family actually include the word "Hummingbird" in the common name:
Hemaris Thysbe - the "Hummingbird Clearwing" (pictured here) and
Macroglossum stellatarum - the "Hummingbird Hawk Moth".
But on a more realistic note, it is also not uncommon to hear all moths
in family Sphingidae called "Hummingbird Moths" . This is due to their
common characteristic of feeding while hovering.
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This is also a Hummingbird Clearwing
(Hemaris thysbe). This was the first Sphingidae family member we ever saw.
At first we were just like you - thoroughly convinced this was a baby female
ruby-throated humminbird, but we just couldn't explain away those antennae!
He mimics the hummingbird perfectly; wings just a blur,
zipping here and there. He appears from June through August; feeding at
our phlox at midday, always alone. He is oblivious to people, allowing us
within inches; but refuses to pose for the camera very long. These pictures
are close-ups; the actual body length of this moth is about
3/4".
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Picture courtesey Rodger
Fowler
Other Hummingbird Moth Photos on the Internet
(the photos in these page links are the property of others,
so look, but please observe all copyright laws!)
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