Macroglossum trochilus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Macroglossum trochilus, the African hummingbird hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. It is very common in most habitats throughout southern and eastern Africa and in the Comoro Islands.
Adults are frequently seen at flowers in full sunshine. The length of the forewings is 15–18 mm. The tail of the pupa moves when the pupa is disturbed or possibly in harm's way. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an African Hummingbird Hawkmoth sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 205th most-seen of the 401 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April, June and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Durban on a given day, against under 5% in May, July–August and October–February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Hummingbird Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate African Hummingbird Hawkmoth sightings, Durban ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cape Town (South Africa, about 10%), Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%) and Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the African Hummingbird Hawkmoth that you can see in Durban (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Vine Hawkmoth (about 10%), Verdant Hawkmoth (about 10%) and Common Striped Hawkmoth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Hummingbird Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Durban (10 verified sightings), 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.
