I caught one of these when I was a kid and no one could tell me what it was; I was convinced I'd found a new species of moth hummingbird hybrid 😂 I love how they move with such curiosity and personality❤️
@@dauntlessart584 Even with the six legs, the antennas, and the little straw mouth, it took me a long time before it registered that it was not, in fact, a hummingbird haha.
Once, walking near the sea in the evening (the sun had set long ago by then), I saw in the water wonderful red little squid (I had never seen a squid alive and was very interested in taking a close look at it). For some reason it was so motionless that I could take it in my hand. And when I touched it, I realized that it is a little bit soft for a squid and that I don't see any tentacles. I also felt as if my fingers were stung by weak nettles. And then.. I understood it was a sea worm... This fact was already unpleasant, but the worm, in addition, decided to leave a bunch of small poisonous hairs in my fingers. So, I immediately threw this "wonderful squid" away. Hopefully, its poison was not so strong. A few days after, I found the same type of worm in the afternoon and took a close look at him, but this time I didn't touch it with fingers. Of course, a butterfly is not a sea worm, but I think that if you caught sutch "hummingbird" and then realized it's an insect, you could have feelings close to those I had.
I saw one in our garden last night. Dancing from flower to flower. Never seen it before and I was mesmerized... I hope everyone gets the chance to see a hummingbird moth at least once in real life! It's beautiful beyond words.
when i was like 9 i saw a hummingbird moth and thought for SURE it was some sort of alien...mostly because no adult i asked could tell me what on earth i was describing when i told them i saw a lobster-hummingbird-bee.
My wife and I just discovered two of these little dudes in our front flower bed. So cool! Never knew this creature even existed and I’m 44 and I love nature! 🤦🏻♂️
My favorite insect.. sadly when I was 10 I had a "friend" over and I had endless hummingbirds and hummingbird moths due to all the different flowers I had. He killed this fragile creature, with a football right in front of my eyes.. knowing only 3 different hummingbird moths that flew around my yard it was really tough for me. I soon stopped talking to him and it still hurts my heart til today. Apart of my spirituality and youth was torn apart as I felt so connected to them. I sound like a big wuss but really I just grew close to them.
Torunara Jutora...you are definitely not a wuss. You just love Mother Nature, as I do, and you just can't stand to see beauty destroyed. Some people appreciate, and others destroy.
What a sweetheart this guy is! I love how he tells the story and poses questions in his soothing voice. What a gentle and wonderful human being he is! Thank you sir!
I live in Australia and when I saw this hummingbird moth in Northern Italy, I was stunned of its beauty. I will treasure the memory always. Loved your video. Brought back beautiful memories. Thanks😊
I just saw one of these yesterday at the zoo I work at, and it blew my mind. Never even HEARD of hummingbird moths in my 28 years. Excellent video. Thanks a lot!
I saw a hummingbird moth once. It was over 10 years ago at my grandad's house and we were sitting in the garden. It was a particularly hot summer and we were seeing so many bees and butterflies and dragonflies. Then this really unusual and big insect came along and it was making this humming sound. This was in England btw and they are super rare here, they are occasional summer visitors. We looked it up and it was one of these. I've never seen one since but I still remember it :)
Last night at about 10 pm, I saw a hummingbird moth feeding on the petunias outside my window. It was beautiful! I felt it was a very special gift the night gave me.
I'm so glad I saw this video. I saw a green, black and white one while I was mowing my lawn, and a hummingbird was the last thing I thought. To me, it looked like a butterfly-bee hybrid.
Also, the "moth" at 1:21 - 2:00 is also really a butterfly. I think it's a Veined White. In my area, we have the Cabbage White butterflies, a similar specimen that's quite common, especially on warm sunny days and where there's lots of flowers.
@@ianhandy5090 butterflies and moth are almost the same thing. Like... eagles and falcons Some moths are so colorfull that we mistake as butterflies, and some butterflies are so... moth like that we mistake as moths Its just us that made it dificult xd
I remember clearly the first time I saw these little guys. I was on my way from Wisconsin to Texas and stopped along the way. There were several of these glorious little animals flying from flower to flower at a park-like wayside. I thought for sure were the tiniest humming birds I had ever seen. They weren't shy and let me get close enough to see them clearly. And I discovered that they were not birds at all! They had antennae! They were some kind of fuzzy insect! My guy looked them up later online and we discovered that they were indeed hummingbird moths. What a day that was. 🦋
I had the same experience. No luck attracting hummingbirds, even with plenty of mint and trumpet vines and bergamot mint. Then I saw what I thought was a hummingbird, and then I saw antenna and was baffled.
@@allynflinchbaugh4570 Lol, they sure are cute little guys, aren't they. Bummer that you don't have humming birds. But super cool that you get to see these little guys!
Not mimicry. For one thing, the moth has probably been around far longer than hummingbirds. But neither gets a benefit from looking like the other. They simply evolved a similar solution to exploiting the same food source. An example of mimicry is the Viceroy butterfly. It has evolved to look like a Monarch because Monarchs taste nasty and birds avoid them.
It's more accurate: "However, recent research indicates that the viceroy is also unpalatable to many predators. The two butterflies may be co-mimics, each profiting from the other’s bad reputation. The questions surrounding these two butterflies demonstrate that insect mimicry is often complex."
I don’t even care if it was intentional mimicry or not, lol. It’s still super amazing. Hell, the fact they look so similar without evolution intending for them to mimic one another is actually more amazing imo!
you're right, and its important to not spread misinformation. This is convergent evolution, not mimicry. His explanation in the video is not enough to claim mimicry. Mimicry is when one species exploits the appearance of another, and just the appearance.The moth's own adaptation allows the moth to avoid predators and eat the same food source as the hummingbird, making this convergent evolution.
Saw one in Ohio in our flower garden probably about 6 years ago.. Was stunned by it looking like a hummingbird. Was able to get online and discover what it was.
I saw one when I was 7 in San Diego. I went up to it and caught it as it fed. Damnedest thing, it Buzzed, like the toy you buy and I thought it was an electric shock and released it and ran homw, i was about 30 when I learned what he was
Wow! I had about 30 of these little guys last evening around dusk, attacking my Desert Willow which is in full bloom. Like many, I thought a hummingbird whizzed by my head, then I realized it was a moth. I saw that it went for my willow bush, then I realized, the entire bush was being swarmed with these little guys. I just stood by in amazement as they drank the nectar. I am in Mesquite, NV in the Mojave desert, I did not know we had these guys here. Spectacular show!
I saw one of these stunning creatures on my Butterfly Bush...I thought it must be a mistake of nature...a cross of Humming bird, Moth, and Bumblebee!!?? Glad to have an official name for it!
I've been enjoying these moths in my garden at twilight for several years now. They truly are amazing to watch and I love that they are not bothered by humans getting up close for a better look. Its not easy considering they fly so fast!
Why did god create two animals which look the same and have same function? Why did god create evil? Why does god love flies, orchids, beetles, and asters so much but does not give a fuck about gingkos? Fuck your god.
I actually saw one up close by accident. My friend pulled over for a smoke and we were by a huge flower bush and I saw it floated among a bunch of bees and I actually freaked out because it was massive compared to the bees. I never saw one before so I was really hesitant to even get close but we googled it hahaha.
Here because I was amazed by mini hummingbirds at Walmart in the purple flowers,dozens of them ! Noticed antennas and extra legs after observing them for a bit realized they must a kind of insect they were truly amazing! Thank you for this cool video!
I get three of these beauties in my back garden during summer months , such beautiful creatures. I had no idea what it was when I saw one for the first time. It looked almost alien with its extremely fast movements and hovering ability's.
Truly incredible stuff. Just makes me wonder though if there have ever been any cases of mistaken identity where an actual hummingbird has fallen for a hummingbird moth or vice versa. Now wouldn't that be something? Lol
Love your video. I was filling hummingbird feeders when 2 white striped ones suprised me. They were no more than a foot from me. They were getting nectar from my flowers at the time. I could not believe what I was viewing. Ran in and got my wife to witness or proove to myself I wasn't hallucinating! Then found your video. Good job!
One difference that I see, is that the hummingbird darts in and out from each flower. They also drop a foot or so to pick up speed when they leave. Moths go directly from flower to flower.
I saw one yesterday for the first time, I believe ▬ and I am over 60! I quickly got my camera and videoed it for a few moments and sent it out to an email to friends to see what it was. When I LQQKED at my video, the top of the abdomen part of the bug LQQKED like Lobster tail, LOL. Some of them knew it was a hummingbird moth and that led me here. That curled proboscis threw me for a loop on whether it was a bird, or an insect. I had seen the catepillar before. After it sipped the nectar, it buzzed around me head a few times and then another one appeared and they flew off together. Thank you for his post! Now I know.
What a great video! Beautifully illustrated and narrated. I had my first hummingbird moth sighting yesterday in my bee and butterfly garden! I was SO excited! Keep up the good work on showing us what a beautiful world we live in! Okay, it's 2:43 am and I need to go to sleep!
Enjoyed your video! I saw (and photographed) a hummingbird moth for the first time last weekend. And a search on the internet led me here. Many thanks!
I saw one a few months ago, it genuinely was magical, it looked like a fairy. I had seen a pic of one prior to my encounter and instantly thought it was the most beautiful insect in the world. To have been blessed enough to have seen one irl felt like meeting a unicorn or mermaid or other mythical creature
They didint mimick Hummingbirds For example Hummingbirds don't live in Europe but the Hummingbird Hawk Moth and the Hummingbird Moth are everywhere I also thought they were humming birds and I actually find them cuter than a Hummingbird from upclose
Saw these beautiful creatures when we lived in Rhode Island 25 years ago had no idea what they were they were very passive very friendly we had flowers at the side of the house we are now in Florida and there was a picture of one in this Sunday's Tampa Bay Tribune and I said my goodness that's it so thank you for capturing these moments for us and giving us the name of such a beautiful creature
When I was a kid we used to have these 2 trees in our backyard and every summer they'd bloom these small green flowers that would attract humming bird moths. Me and my sister would catch them and release them afterwards. But I remeber holding them and feeling how soft they were. One actually flew into our house just a couple of weeks ago, I managed to catch it and put it outside. Such cute little critters.
I now have solved what the mystery moth was that I saw two years ago...thank you! I've never seen anything like it before. I didn't get a photo of it, but I tried to look it up by description and found nothing. It had bumped into my kitchen window a few times, and then landed in the window well, and there it sat for a bit while I looked at it in awe and wonder. Then it flew off never to be seen again. Very interesting species of moth! :)
Thanks for helping me understand these little guys. I saw one yesterday for the first time in my life (I'm 47y) He/She was in my Prince william flowers. I thought it was a hummingbird until I was a able to get a very close look. It acted as if I wasn't even there. I have to say, this is now my favorite bug, not that I ever had a favorite bug, but now I do.
I saw this in my garden in Lr Sackville Nova Scotia. It was more than 12 yrs ago. I thought it was some type of butterfly bee-like , plump awesome insect! I was afraid to touch it in case it stung like a bee. Now I know it's a hummingbird moth. :). Thank you so much for this video!
Humming birds do actually still eat bugs as their main food source. Fruit flies and gnats and mosquitoes. Nectar is a high energy fuel, but they still need protein. If anything it's the charge they need from nectar that gives them the energy to chase those speedy bugs down. I wonder if the hummingbird moths have to compete for the same flowers. All the more reason to plant butterfly gardens. For the hummers, the bees and now the hummingbird moth.
I live in the U.S. & have several huge tree like trumpet vines where I'd see humming birds at daily. I grow prim roses for the humming bird moths which they'd come to in the morning before the flowers wilted. The sphinx mouth would visit the primroses at night. This year of 2019, I've seen only one humming bird mouth, no humming birds, and no sphinx moths. My hypotheses is climate change, not due to man made global warming (which I don't believe in), but the earth shifting on it's axis are helping insects thrive here from much further south, while our native insects are moving towards the north. I see many insects I've never seen before, which I believe are both migrating from Latin America, and coming in on produce from around the world. PS: Insects have been a hobby of mine since 7 years old in the mid 1960's.
A hummingbird moth was in my garden recently. I was surprised to see it as they're very rarely seen in Ireland. My garden is down in Blackrock in Cork City. It was beautiful to see such an amazing moth. It put a smile on my face that day. :-)
I saw a humming bird Moth on vallarain flower over our pond on the old Portsmouth road cobham Surrey England it was stunning I loved your filming will watch again I love Moths in fact all creatures great and small Thank you Yvonne Cornwall mullion England
We now live in Texas and have at least 4 hummingbirds who feed from our feeder. We used to live in Bamberg Germany. One year, the weather was so warm that hummingbird moths migrated up into Germany. I saw them for the first time in my life and wasn't quite sure what they were. Upon closer examination I found them to be moths. Amazing insects to be sure.
Just saw a beautiful Hummingbird Moth for the 1st time on my petunia plants, here in New England! What an amazing sight!! I'd never seen one before! The top half (head, etc. ) was green and the abdomen was beautiful multicolored. It acted just like a hummingbird, of which we have 3 in the area.
I've been watching the hummingbirds and hummingbird moths in our yard this morning. Beautiful creatures. One big difference is that hummingbirds eat a wide variety of insects, maybe their own body weight each day! I've seen hummingbirds with so much spiderweb on their beaks that they had to stop to remove it with their little feet...sometimes they just wipe it off on a branch.
Just spotted a hummingbird moth in my front yard. I never heard of them before, I must admit I thought it was a bird until closer look, Thanks Mark...I miss bcgi!!
It's very clearly mimicry. You can see this in nature a lot. The moth species, as a whole, is known for mimicry of the highest order! They are magnificent insects. Truly my favorite and i know a lot about them. I have faith, but i'm also a man of science, i walk the line! I don't fall into the cult of group think. Neither should you. Edit: You the reader, not you the content creator. Keep making excellent videos!
Thanks for that beautiiful video! We just experienced the exact species of hummingbird moth last Friday morning while my husband was watering flowers and shrubs below our back deck! It was feeding on the white violet flowers and we watched it for quite a while before it flew away! It never landed! We did not know there was such a thing! Wht a beautiful insect!
Just wanted to thank you for this incredible video. I too saw my first hummingbird moth today, and had no idea what it was. looked like a baby hummingbird, but it had antenna on its head. a google search helped, and led me here. never knew these existed.
It's neither. They just both evolved towards the same optimal body plan for efficiently exploiting the same food source. That's convergent evolution. Just like dolphin's aren't mimicing fish, they just evolved into a shape optimal for swimming.
I have a few of these that visit my flower garden during dusk and dawn each day...just saw it a few minutes ago at 8:40pm, I normally catch them around 6am.
The Hummingbird Moth was just in my yard today feeding on flowers, I got some great still photos of it. I thought at first it was a hummingbird but when I looked closer I saw that it was similar. Was amazing experience to watch it and hear it humming over the the flowers. Thank you for your video, it was very educational, I learned a lot about the Hummingbird Moth
