The Moths that Think They're Hummingbirds

Or perhaps hummingbirds actually think they’re moths. Day-flying moths apparently evolved about 100 million years ago, so hummingbird moths almost certainly appeared long, long before hummingbirds came on the scene. Both can hover, both feed on nectar from flowers with deep tubes and both fly during daylight, a classic case of what’s called convergent evolution – where two quite different creatures evolved to occupy similar niches in the environment.

Along the edge of the field where I was walking there was a large clump of wild bergamot –

Virtually any time I see a significant grouping of wild bergamot in bloom there are one or more hummingbird moths feeding from the flowers –

Although there are a number of moth species that are called hummingbird moths, here we’re talking about my favorites – the hummingbird clearwing moths, moths that have transparent cells in their wings. There are two species of hummingbird clearwing moths in the northeast that, at first glance, look almost identical –

The two species are the hummingbird clearwing moth –

And the snowberry clearwing moth –

As mentioned, the two species aren’t readily told apart; to differentiate them use these clues –

The larvae of both species feed on the leaves of dogbane, viburnums and honeysuckles and overwinter as pupae in the soil and leaf litter.

These moths evolved to mimic hummingbirds and bumblebees, apparently to aid in avoiding predators. Few predators can catch a hummingbird and few would want to catch a bumblebee.