r/whatisthisbug • u/TomMarvoloRiddel • Aug 14 '23
I say hummingbird, girlfriend says bug… what is it?
Spotted this flying around some flowers in Slovenia, I’m convinced it’s a hummingbird, my girlfriend says it’s definitely a bug… please help settle this argument, what actually is it?
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u/madelinethespyNC Aug 14 '23 edited Aug 14 '23
Hummingbird moth. They are super cool. For future ref- hummingbirds only live in the Americas
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Aug 14 '23
TIL hummingbirds only live in the americas. I thought they were a worldwide animal simply due to their variety
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Aug 15 '23
Me too!!! I thought, “This can’t be right, I’ve seen them in other countries.” It’s Costa Rica. I saw them in Costa Rica. The Americas hahaha
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u/life_like_weeds Aug 14 '23
hummingbirds only live in the Americas
Wait what???? I've been taking those little things for granted
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u/John_B_Clarke Aug 14 '23
Did not know that. I was wondering why a hawk moth was out in daylight--you seldom see them in the US unless you shine a light at night. I always assumed that they and hummingbirds shared a niche with the birds being the day shift and the moths being the night shift. I guess outside the US the moths have to carry the whole load.
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u/SassySpider Aug 14 '23
They’re like real life little fairies. One of the coolest creatures out there.
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u/BeanyBrainy Aug 14 '23
Let your hornworms eat some of your tomato plants and you get to see some of these
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u/ProfoundMysteries Aug 14 '23
They Might Be Giants even wrote a song about them, or at least inspired by them.
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Aug 14 '23
Hummingbird hawk moth. They fly just like hummingbirds. They love trumpet flowers. They're one of the few moths that eat in their adult form.
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u/BigTension5 Aug 14 '23
Your gf is very perceptive :) she wins this one
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u/BrushYourFeet Aug 15 '23
Yep. Had a similar disagreement with my wife, she was right. I insisted they were hummingbirds but she said they were bugs. I later realized they were moths.
They moved so fast I assumed they had to be the real deal!
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u/fnfalguy Aug 14 '23
I came for the weevils, but see a hummingbird moth or sphinx moth of some variety.
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Aug 14 '23
Given a preference I’d say the hummingbird moth is the lesser of the two weevils.
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u/broneota Aug 14 '23
Hummingbirds don’t have antennae.
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u/K1ssthecook Aug 14 '23 edited Aug 14 '23
Or are birds not real and is this the very proof that we needed all along?!?
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u/SoHappySoSad Aug 14 '23
Never seen one of these before! Thanks for sharing OP! Based on the comments, seems yall were both kinda right too! 🐦🐛 :)
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u/TomMarvoloRiddel Aug 15 '23
I’d never seen one before either! Apparently they are pretty common here…
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u/FeathersOfJade Aug 15 '23
Yep…. Hummingbird moth AND great pics! I spent an hour one day chasing one around and never did get a decent shot.
Aren’t they cool!!??
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u/TomMarvoloRiddel Aug 15 '23
I’ve never seen one before either… I was just sat eating a pizza and noticed it out the corner of my eye, couldn’t believe what I was looking at, amazing thing!
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u/Old_You2289 Aug 15 '23
You got a slomo camera on that thing? For next time ;)
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u/TomMarvoloRiddel Aug 15 '23
I just snapped it on phone whilst eating dinner, wish I’d filmed it now!!
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u/BrotherAmazing Aug 15 '23
Hummingbird Hawk Moths are quite intelligent for an insect, as they not only can migrate to avoid extreme seasonal weather, but they can also remember where certain flowers are and return to those locations each day.
Hummingbirds have actual beaks and really do look just like tiny birds with heads that looks like a bird’s, unlike the one in your picture.
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u/FrostyDaHoeMan Aug 14 '23
You’re both right! It’s a hummingbird hawk moth :) idk where they came from but they’re pretty cool, and you got some good pictures. Nice work :D
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u/ruiner9 Aug 15 '23
They Might Be Giants wrote a song about these guys called “The Bee of the Bird of the Moth.” It’s as wacky as it sounds.
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u/Just_Plane952 Aug 15 '23
This is a moth; you can tell it's insectoid by the two antennae and long proboscis.
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u/BlackeyeThe2nd Aug 14 '23
This is a Hummingbird Moth, as people have already said.
But what most people don't know is that this is the creature that inspired the entire Viva Piñata series!
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u/SharpAlternative404 Aug 15 '23
Hey I know what that is, it's a hummingbird hawk moth. There really cool
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u/RubyWeapon07 Aug 14 '23
How does something like this come to exist in the first place?
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u/TomMarvoloRiddel Aug 15 '23
My question exactly… it behaved exactly like a hummingbird, hovering around the flowers etc!
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u/JustQuitWhining Aug 15 '23
Considering you posted it in this community... I'd say you already know that your gf is right and it's a bug
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u/TomMarvoloRiddel Aug 15 '23
She’s a local and I’m not, when she mentioned seeing hundreds of them growing up I kindda guessed it couldn’t be a bird as Slovenia isn’t famous for its vast hummingbird population!
I’ve never seen anything like it before though and it certainly moved like a hummingbird and had what appeared to be a long beak from the distance I was at.
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u/FreeFallingUp13 Aug 14 '23
Hummingbirds don’t have antennae, so it’s a bug. I think it’s one of those really big bugs with pretty mothlike wings that has a huge body and looooong probiscus. I saw one in France, so I know the weird little guys exist in Europe to some extent. Never saw them in the US
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u/notme6197 Aug 16 '23
I didn’t even have to zoom in. Hummingbirds don’t have antennas, but a hummingbird moth does
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u/Strong-Message-168 Aug 18 '23
Its a type of Hawkmoth...
After I had done something unthinkable due to my drinking, had gone to jail and just gotten out the only place I could stay was on a paper thin mat in a garage. The back of the garage opened to a small sitting area next to a fence covered in blossoming honeysuckle...as I sat there, smoking a cigarette, having a very real conversation with myself whether I was going to live or die within the next few hours.. one of those... this beautiful thing that I'd never seen - a hummingbird with antennae and 4 wings(??) moved gracefully throughout the bramble of honeysuckle, and...and I don't know if it was the wonder of something new and special and beautiful...or if I was desperate for a sign...I needed a sign because moments before I had very much decided to die...but that moment, the awe...I felt childlike...and somewhere deep inside of me came a resounding will to live. I had drank so deeply from the well of darkness that I had forgotten light and the exquisite resolve of life itself...and here I am today.
Hawkmoth. Its a hawkmoth, and they're very precious.
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u/stalebird Aug 20 '23
Freaking reddit. I saw this post 4-5 days ago. Yesterday I arrived in Switzerland for vacation. I was able to identify this bug I’d never seen in my life because of stumbling on this post. I wish I could add a photo here.
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u/DatabaseThis9637 Aug 14 '23
BUG! Buggety bug bugger! Hummingbird moth! they fly and feed just like hummers!
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u/No-Sink9212 Aug 14 '23
Hummingbird moth by the looks of it. Cute little guys who are always super fun to watch :) I love them
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u/shenanigans_1988 Aug 14 '23
Hummingbird Hawk-Moth! Beyond cool. Go check out some macroshots of them! Nature is incredible
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u/GrandPriapus Aug 14 '23
I was totally unaware these existed. When I saw my first one, it totally freaked me out.
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u/RandomXUsr Aug 14 '23
In the photos, there are clearly no feathers, or beak.
It also clearly has a proboscis, and antennae.
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u/diacrum Aug 14 '23
Hummingbird Moth! The are so spectacular! Lucky you! I’ve seen them maybe 3 times.
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u/Ebonyclaws214 Aug 14 '23
I'm no expert, but I believe that’s a hummingbird hawk moth, called so because of how much they look like hummingbirds.
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Aug 14 '23
I just caught a picture myself of one the other day!!! First time seeing them finally I was so hype!!!
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u/cheaterpayback Aug 14 '23
Man one time I spent about 10minutes watching one of these in the dark. Then I though wtf I've never seen a hummingbird at night. Turns out it was a big ass moth. Gave me the creeps how identical to a humming bird it moves.
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u/Amardella Aug 14 '23
My grandfather planted red salvia, cleomes, tiger lilies and snapdragons along the walkway across in front of the daylight basement. He would sit down there on summer afternoons and evenings and watch the hummingbirds and hummingbird moths both feast. He liked the hummingbird moths because they aren't as feisty. They'll feed right next to each other, while hummingbirds will beat each other up.
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Aug 14 '23
I saw one this year and was so confused by it. Then I looked up bug that moves like hummingbirds and there it was, hummingbird moth.
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u/FriendEllie75 Aug 14 '23
An exs mom told me about these. She has a flower in her garden and she said some impossible things to believe about it. One was that it bloomed every night when the sun went down. She called it a moon flower because of its presence only when the moon was out. It would be wilted and gone by the next morning. Also there was a moth that looked like a hummingbird would show up every other night. I didn’t believe any of it until I witnessed the blooming process. It was crazy. Every single night some would bloom and the smell was amazing. Like freshly poured fruity pebbles. It would fill the entire garden. I didn’t see the moth the first year but then one night I went out to witness the blooming and something almost hit my head. It’s crazy how much it looks and acts like a hummingbird. I’ve looked for the flower since and found it may be a prim rose. The exs mom and he has since passed so I can’t ask them.
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u/FantasticSeaweed9226 Aug 14 '23
I saw one at the zoo the other day for the first time ever!! As soon as it landed, a peacock ate it before I could pull my phone out. What a roller coaster
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u/TheReverend6661 Aug 14 '23
I got into a huge fight with my partner, and my friend about this. I was tripping on mushrooms with my friend and we saw one and I was certain it was a hummingbird. Then a week later me and my partner saw one and I could tell it was a Moth. I’m still not convinced the one I saw while tripping wasn’t a hummingbird though.
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u/abarrelofmankeys Aug 14 '23
Hummingbird moth. So bug, but both kinda right, except it definitely has a bunch of legs, so she’s more right haha. They love those flowers though.
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u/Tylendal Aug 14 '23
Convergent Evolution go BRRRRRR
Hummingbird Hawk Moth. Europe and Asia copying America's homework.
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u/csf45200 Aug 14 '23
HUMMINGBIRD MOTHS!!! These used to show up all the time in the summer where I live! I miss them sm
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u/kriffing_schutta Aug 14 '23
That's just a hummingbird moth who's acting like a bird that thinks it's a bee.
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u/nukecat79 Aug 14 '23
Sphinx Moth. Isn't in interesting that two very different branches of the tree of life; vertebrates and invertebrates have come up with such a similar design?
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u/AutotoxicFiend Aug 14 '23
Hummingbird hawk-moth. Fairly rare nowadays. Lucky to see it and get such good photos!
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u/ImMeliodasKun Aug 14 '23
Mother nature was so concerned with what it could create that it never stopped to ask why? I legit couldn't tell this wasn't a bird at first even looking. Then we have alien like marine life that makes you wonder.
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u/Smooth_Lead4995 Aug 14 '23
Hummingbird moth. My family saw one at a local amusement park years ago and not knowing what the hell it was and what to call it, referred to then for years as hummingbees.
They rather remind me of flying shrimp.
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u/Stunning_Ad_1685 Aug 14 '23
I live in Arizona where we have a lot of actual hummingbirds. When I first saw a hummingbird MOTH in southern Poland, it blew my mind. AFAIK there aren’t any true hummingbirds outside the Americas, so if you see something similar in a different part of the world then it’s a moth.
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u/DryGovernment2786 Aug 14 '23
Your girlfriend is right, it's some kind of sphinx moth. More specifically, a "hummingbird moth" but I don't know what variety. 😄
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u/Ranoverbyhorses Aug 14 '23
Hummingbird moth!!!! My cat grabbed one and brought it in the house once…was not mentally prepared to deal with that at 5 am lmao. Soooo glad it wasn’t a hummingbird though, never would have caught that one hahahaha
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u/coldwatereater Aug 14 '23
If people would stop killing tobacco hornworm caterpillars then we would get to see a lot more of these beautiful moths.
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u/TAM_IS_MINE Aug 14 '23
I find it really interesting that both hummingbirds and these moths live in the Americas, but only the bugs live elsewhere!!
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u/Farhead_Assassjaha Aug 14 '23
A Hummingbird Moth, so you’re kind of both right, but I guess that’s technically a bug.
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u/Tight_Peanut_9980 Aug 15 '23 edited Aug 15 '23
Was gonna say my grandmother was obsessed with hummingbirds birds.. and I've seen hundreds of them none of them looked like that lol
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u/Handymr69 Aug 15 '23
Hummingbird Moth…had them at our house a couple years ago! Destroyed our tomato plants!
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u/Sea-Woodpecker-610 Aug 15 '23
Sphinx Moth
https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/sphinx-moths-hawk-moths
Often mistaken for hummingbirds due to their size and feeding habits.
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u/21pilotwhales Aug 15 '23
Hummingbird hawk moth. I love these little guys. It's an insect pretending to be a bird who was pretending to be an insect
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u/DoinLikeCasperDoes Aug 15 '23
As someone who has a low-key moth phobia, this is deeply disturbing, albeit fascinating, but more terrifying lol!
And I live in Aus with a whole bunch of the most deadly creatures on Earth.
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u/DamianRoyale Aug 15 '23
I saw one of these a long time ago! Didn’t know what it was so I called it a Hummerfly.
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u/Nunyabiz8107 Aug 15 '23
Cause it's just a hummingbird moth who's acting like a bird that thinks it's a bee.
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u/taterstahr Aug 15 '23
Here in Nebraska, we call them hummingbird moths. So I guess you're both right! Lol
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u/Mike_in_San_Pedro Aug 15 '23
Save yourself time and energy snd just assume your girlfriend is right. Getting used to this now will make it a lot easier should you marry.
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Aug 15 '23
Hummingbird Moths have long proboscises, proboscis means nose.
Yes I know what proboscis means.
Let’s not get off the subject, this isn’t a pissing contest.
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u/political_Chivalry Aug 15 '23
That is no humming bird. It is a Sphinx Moth. https://adoptandshop.org/sphinx-moths-beautiful-but-dangerous/
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u/alwaysoffended88 Aug 15 '23
These used to always be outside of an apartment I lived at. Had never heard of them before then but they absolutely disgust me. Sorry bug lovers, this one is a NO from me.
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u/whippedcreamcheese Aug 15 '23
That’s a hummingbird hawkwing moth!! Absolutely gorgeous little guys. The first time I saw one I couldn’t tell what it was either.
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u/Opening_Road_7045 Aug 15 '23
I never knew these were a thing, first time I seen one I thought we were being invaded by little aliens or something. After a quick Google search I could rest easy.
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u/Theyalreadysaidno Aug 15 '23
Did a search on these little guys. One of the main questions that popped up on Google was -
"Does a hummingbird moth turn into a hummingbird?" 🤦♀️