eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

Greetings,

Welcome to the next installment of The Bird of the Week! But this time the BOTW isn't even a bird... It's a moth.



The Clearwing Hummingbird Moth (Hemaris thysbe) is a mysterious little creature in that it looks like a cross between a bumble bee and a hummingbird. These "day moths" are not the most common of creatures, and should you wish to study and attract them, the following may help...

• The hummingbird moth populates all of the northern United States, and roams up into Canada as well. It can also be found as far south as the Gulf of Mexico, stretching from the Great Plains eastward.
• Hemaris thysbe is a member of the Sphinx family of moths.
• The larvae eat plants of the honeysuckle family and are relatively innocuous.
• The clearwing is attracted to nectar-producing plants such as the butterfly bush, which also attracts actual hummingbirds.
• Once drawn to your garden, they are fairly oblivious to intruders, and are easily photographed.
• A mature hummingbird moth has a wingspan of roughly two inches.

See you by those "buzzing for a comment" feeders,

CapeCodAlan

References used for this post are listed below:

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Wikipedia
• Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
• Audubon Society
• eNature.com
• North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
• The National Audubon Society’s “The Sibley Guide to Birds”
• "A Field Guide To Birds" by Peterson
• "Birds of New England" by Fred J. Alsop III
• Frank M. Chapman's "Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America"
• "Bird Watching" from Discovery Travel Adventures