Hemaris thysbe
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Hemaris thysbe, the hummingbird clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae (hawkmoths). Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back, and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish-brown border. It has light-colored legs, which combined with the lack of striping on the underside is diagnostic. Beating its wings rapidly, H. thysbe hovers to collect nectar from a variety of flowers. The combination of its appearance and its behavior commonly leads to it being confused with a hummingbird or bumblebee.
Hemaris thysbe is found in a large portion of North America, with a range extending from Alaska to Oregon in the west and from Newfoundland to Florida in the east. It is a migratory species and is most common in southern Ontario and the eastern United States. H. thysbe has two broods a year in the southern portion of its range, but only one in the north. As a caterpillar, it feeds on honeysuckle, dogbane, and several types of fruit trees.
Due to the variable appearance of H. thysbe, it has often been mistakenly described as multiple distinct species. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. The moth is a flower pollinator. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hummingbird Clearwing sighting in Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 104 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Hummingbird Clearwing in Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months. That is one of Riding Mountain National Park's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain against 20 mm in February.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hummingbird Clearwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Hummingbird Clearwing sightings, Riding Mountain National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Hummingbird Clearwing that you can see in Riding Mountain National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Modest Sphinx (about 10%), One-Eyed Sphinx (about 10%) and Small-Eyed Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hummingbird Clearwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Riding Mountain National Park (14 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.
