Macroglossum stellatarum
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia. The species is named for its similarity to hummingbirds, as they feed on the nectar of tube-shaped flowers using their long proboscis while hovering in the air; this resemblance is an example of convergent evolution.
The hummingbird hawk-moth was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. As of 2018, its mitogenome has been sequenced. The hummingbird hawk-moth is distributed throughout the northern Old World from Portugal to Japan, but it breeds mainly in warmer climates (southern Europe, North Africa, and points east). Three generations are produced in a year in Spain. There is evidence that the population in Britain and Ireland is expanding its range, and numbers have been consistently increasing. In addition, it is believed that this population is becoming resident instead of migratory, as warmer temperatures due to climate change are allowing individuals to overwinter.
It is a strong flier and disperses widely in the summer, but it rarely survives the winter in northern latitudes (e.g. north of the Alps in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 4 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 9 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 11 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 12 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 13 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 15 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 16 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 17 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 18 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 19 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 20 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 260th most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
20th of 20
Of the 20 parks where we can rate Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 20th at about 10%. The best odds are in Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 30%), Picos de Europa National Park (Spain, about 30%) and Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 30%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Poplar Hawkmoth (about 10%), Elephant Hawkmoth (about 10%) and Narrow-Bordered Bee Hawkmoth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
