Macroglossum stellatarum
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth sighting in Picos de Europa National Park on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 118 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Picos de Europa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and October–November, 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.
Among the best
Of the 20 parks where we can rate Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth sightings, Picos de Europa National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 30%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth that you can see in Picos de Europa National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Speckled Wood (about 50%), Marbled White (about 40%) and Small Tortoiseshell (about 40%), 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 Picos de Europa National Park (31 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.
