Hummingbird Moth Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Hummingbird Moth
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Lepidoptera
  • Family: Sphingidae
  • Genus: Hemaris
  • Species: Hemaris thysbe

12 Hummingbird Moth Facts for Kids

  1. The hummingbird moth is a hawkmoth that is a member of the genus Hemaris.
  2. The binomial name for the hummingbird moth is Hemaris thysbe.
  3. The hummingbird moth was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.
  4. The hummingbird moth gets its name from the similar appearance and behavior of an avian hummingbird.
  5. The hummingbird moth can be found in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
  6. The habitat prefered by hummingbird moths are a second-growth forest, a meadow or in suburban areas where someone has cultivated a butterfly garden to attract them.
  7. The coloration of hummingbird moths will vary, but its most commonly going to a have a back with olive green and burgundy, with an underside that is white or burgundy and yellow.
  8. An adult hummingbird moth is covered thick hair, that can resemble the appearance of feathers.
  9. The life cycle of a hummingbird moth includes four stages, an egg, larva, pupa and adult.
  10. The average wingspan of a hummingbird both is between 1.6 and 2.5 inches.
  11. A hummingbird moth can fly up to 12 miles an hour with its fast-moving wings.
  12. A hummingbird moth’s wings can flap up to 70 times per second.

Additional Resources with Hummingbird Moth Facts

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