Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Hummingbird Hawk-moth
Macroglossum stellatarum (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Macroglossinae
Identification: Overall dark brownish-grey. Opaque gray forewings and strong orange hindwings unmistakable under reasonable viewing conditions. Abdomen with distal third dark, with three white markings along each margin. "Ta
Wing Span:
Life History:
Flight:
Caterpillar Hosts: Primarily bedstraw species (Galium), but will utilize other members of Rubiaceae.
Adult Food:
Habitat: Open areas with plentiful nectar sources (open grasslands, meadows, gardens, farmland, etc.). Adults frequently found feeding on nectar of butterfly bush (Buddleia) and other prolific flowers.
Range: Across Europe, Africa and Asia. One record from Alaska in the mid 1900s.
Conservation:
NCGR:
Management Needs:
Comments: A rare vagrant to North America, with only a handful of purported records. A highly migratory species that, with the right supporting conditions, could turn up anywhere in the world. Edit 9/5/2019: Although it is possible that this species could stray to northeastern North America, MPG and Pohl et al. will continue to list this as extralimital until there is reasonable evidence that it is established. West coast records are most likely stowaways. - Steve Nanz
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Verified Sightings

Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 03, 2025
Submitted by: choyt
Region: Harney County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 04, 2025
  Details

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