Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, tail fanned
Hemaris thysbe
Hummingbird Clearwing Moth · Brooklyn Botanic Garden · 24 August 2025
A Hummingbird Clearwing hovering at a flower in the August border, the black tail tufts fanned wide. A day-flying hawkmoth of the eastern woods and gardens, and the moth behind most reports of tiny hummingbirds across the eastern United States.
The tail is used for stability in the hover, the way a hummingbird uses its tail, though this is an insect and the "feathers" are scales. The clear patches in the wings are where the scales fall off on the first flight, leaving bare membrane; a freshly emerged one has fully coloured wings for a few minutes.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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