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- Oct 11, 2006
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It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a hummingbird! Nope! It's a hummingbird moth:
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/hummingbird_moth.htm
I've read about these; they're often mistaken for hummingbirds, as they resemble them and drink from the same feeders and flowers. I've never seen one before; mine is prettier than the photos; it's a bit darker olive green. We watched it on the butterfly bush, drinking the nectar from the flowers. The wings beat and hum just like a hummingbird's, and the coloring is very similar; it even has the rounded tailfeather tips that female Ruby-Throats have. From a distance, I could see how someone would mistake it for a hummingbird!
As it's classification name has the word "Thysbe" in it, and Thisbe is a Greek girl's name, I've named it Thisbe--even though I have no idea what its gender is!
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/hummingbird_moth.htm
I've read about these; they're often mistaken for hummingbirds, as they resemble them and drink from the same feeders and flowers. I've never seen one before; mine is prettier than the photos; it's a bit darker olive green. We watched it on the butterfly bush, drinking the nectar from the flowers. The wings beat and hum just like a hummingbird's, and the coloring is very similar; it even has the rounded tailfeather tips that female Ruby-Throats have. From a distance, I could see how someone would mistake it for a hummingbird!
As it's classification name has the word "Thysbe" in it, and Thisbe is a Greek girl's name, I've named it Thisbe--even though I have no idea what its gender is!