Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum
The Hummingbird Hawk-moth is a large, day-flying moth which hovers like a hummingbird as it uses its long "proboscis" (tongue) to drink nectar from flowers.
One of the pollinator moths, it is one of the most unusual and charismatic in the UK.
With northern Europe's warmer temperatures, it arrives earlier (seen around late spring)
and leaves later (autumn) each year.
It is quite plain from above when at rest and well-camouflaged but it has orange under-wings briefly visible when hovering in flight.
Flying with tongue out while feeding.
UK flight time: Summer (mainly migrant).
Wingspan: 40-50mm.
They are native to much of temperate Eurasia, from Portugal (including the Azores) and Northwest Africa to Japan.
The long tongue allows them to access nectar in tubular flowers that other moths/insects can't reach such as petunia
and raspberry sage, above.
When hovering, like its namesake hummingbird, the wings move rapidly but the head and body are still.
The fish tail (different individual than that hovering in the row earlier).
Have you seen that it can flash violet highlights in its tail? It can also have a face pattern in the tail.
The photos of Hummingbird Hawk-moths in the row immediately above and below are in Kazakhstan, taken by Alexandra Makhnina.
