What is this flying animal that hovers like a hummingbird?

Question

What is this animal?

Characteristics:

Has a long curved bill.
Has green upper body and a dark black lower body.
Likes petunias.
Hovers like a hummingbird but is a bit smaller.
Has small rear feather-like tufts and is very odd shaped.
Moved quickly from flower to flower.

Also, I just turned my answer into a community wiki, so I don't get any more points for this answer. — , Jul 09 '17 at 07:41

score 7 · Answer 1 · edited Jul 09 '17 at 05:51

7

That's a lepidopteran insect called hummingbird moth.

There are several species of hummingbird moths. Their more distinctive feature, as the name implies, is that they hover just like a hummingbird.

Your photo is not the best one for identification, but it seems to be a hummingbird hawk-moth, from the Genus Macroglossum, specially because the rear feather like tufts (which are just elongated setae).

Here is a better photo, for comparison:

^{Macroglossum stellatarum}

However, according to the colors you described, your species is probably different from that in the photo above.

Here is one flying (from a different species):

edited Jul 09 '17 at 05:51

Mesentery

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answered Jul 08 '17 at 14:05

Do you know the typical habitat. I was left puzzled during a visit to Lantau Island, Honk Kong and this looks similar. – snow6oy Jul 08 '17 at 21:09
It depends on the exact species. – Jul 09 '17 at 01:54

What is this flying animal that hovers like a hummingbird?

1 Answers1