A Moth That Looks and Acts Like a Hummingbird

The Animal Sounds channel takes a look at the Hummingbird hawk-moth, a remarkable moth that looks and acts like a hummingbird. For example, this moth uses a long proboscis to feed on the nectar of tube-shaped flowers while hovering in mid-air, like a hummingbird. Also, this moth differs from the other species of hawk moths, by feeding in daylight.

Hummingbird hawk moth is one of the various moths in the Sphinx family. …Most of the moths in the Sphinx family are nocturnal, but the hummingbird hawk-moth prefers to operate and feed during the day. …these unusual differences in habits, it has developed some different features in its eyes to help it recognize details about the surroundings during the day.

They further explain that this is a good example of convergent evolution, a case where a distinctly separate species takes on the beneficial features of another.

It’s easy to mistake these insects for hummingbirds. …The phenomenon known as convergent evolution is when two separate species with no relation to one another develop extremely close physical structures and functions. Such are the hummingbird hawk-moth and the hummingbird.