Until a few nights ago I had never seen a moth visit a hummingbird feeder at night. Although I have spotted a few butterflies such as cloudless sulphurs and even a monarch briefly dining a hummingbird feeder but I have never spotted a moth engaged in this activity; here is what I saw.

       A few nights ago, I took our family dog out.  Just beyond our deck four hummingbirds hang from Shepard’s hooks.  As I stood on the deck waiting to come back, a large fuzzy moth flew in and visited one of the feeders.  It hovered above two of the feeding portals on one of the feeders; it remained there for several seconds. Since the moth visited the portal on the back side of the feeder, I did not actually see the moth extend its long proboscis into the feeder.

       Supposedly, the moths that are most often reported visiting feeders are various sphinx moths.  After watching these large moths feeding at late-blooming flowers it easy to see why they are sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds.

       This surprising experience has left me wondering why I have never seen moths feeding at hummingbird feeders before. Perhaps it is because I rarely watch the feeders at night.  This may be the reason why other folks also rarely see this fascinating behavior.

       If you have been lucky enough to spot moths visiting your hummingbird feeders, please let me know.