Bird ?

[clintonbemrose]

This evening while I was out in my test yard I saw what looked like a small hummingbird. The size was about the size of 3 to 4 small cell bees put together, a 2 inch beek, 6 legs, 2 small wings that were flaping extremly fast with a loud buzzing noise and blue and brown color. This critter was not afraid of me and visited 6 purple flours near me. I took out my digital camera to get a picture but the battery was dead. I have looked in my bird books and not found it. could this have been an insect?
Clint

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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

[BjornBee]

Very close to what I saw about 2 weeks ago. I concluded it was a type of moth. I first thought that perhaps I found a new species of midget hummingbird since it was slightly smaller than the ones we feed on the back porch. (If getting a hummingbird smaller was even possible.) It made the rapid wing movement and even hovered on a few flowers. It did land and thats when I got a pretty good look. Six legs and all. Some sort of moth/insect but definitly more than the standard/two legs of any bird.

I will say that its the first time I ever saw such a thing. I have a good reference library and found nothing yet. But sometimes I wonder if I live a little too close to three mile island.

[Scot Mc Pherson]

If its what I think it is, its a sub-tropical insect that I have seen many of. Looks JUST like a hummingbord but with 6 legs. Also its not colorful but brownish I think.

Really need eh?

I am not sure if its a moth or not because it moves like a hummingbord too, with the ability to hover and such, I don't think moths can do that. Though I can't say what it is, its a fancy looking insect though that I saw. I think I have seen perhaps up to 10 of them in the last 15 years.

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Scot Mc Pherson
"Linux is a Journey, not a Guided Tour" ~ Me

[Got Honey?]

i have seen these at my house in the bay area Ca, and when I looked them up they were called a hummingbird moth, I'll try to find the link.

Joseph

[Jason G in Tennessee]

Hey guys, this critter really fascinated me the first time I saw it too. In the dusk of the evening visiting flowers. It is a moth. I think it is the Sphinx moth, but I cannot remember its name for sure.
Yes, I just looked it up and it is a Sphinx moth. Here is a picture of it at this URL: http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopE...s/hummingb.htm
It is the moth that comes from the hornworm or tobacco worm caterpillar.
Jason

[BjornBee]

Bingo! Thank you.

[clintonbemrose]

You are correct. Thanks for all the info and especially the link. I though that I was seeing things when I saw It.
Clint



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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

[denise_ky]

There are two different moths that you are describing. It does sound like the sphinx moth and these are usually large with narrow wings. Then there is the clearwing hummingbird moth. I found this web page that has pictures of both for those of you that are interested.I haven't seen a sphinx in a long time, but the clear wings are a treat to see around here. http://www.howardfamilyhomepage.net/page5b.html

Denise

[clintonbemrose]

This evening I took a Ph D of entomology out with me and we saw the "bird" again. He said that it was a clearwing hummingbird moth. We were out at my #3 test hive and we looked thru it. It was very weak and hostile. He said that from the scratch marks on the front(they were new) it looked like a skunk was bothering it. Sure enough one walked to within 8 feet of us and didn't seem scared. I have now put down tack strips in front of the hive.
Clint

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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

[Michael Bush]

Skunks, SHB... you seen to have all the problems one could ever expect. Glad you keep sticking to it.

[BEEn Stung]

We see the sphinx moths every year about the time the flox blooms, which is now. They seem to come in several "varities" I supose some of them may well be "hummingbird moths" I will have to look into that farther. They are very plesant to see outside our living room window.

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Erwin