![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2.26547969.jpg\"\/)
Play Brightcove video<\/p>\nPlay Brightcove video<\/p>\n
There were only eight recorded sightings of hummingbird hawk-moths in the UK in 2021, but this year many more have been reported across the country, ITV News Midlands Correspondent Ben Chapman reports<\/p>\n
Known for their distinctive grey furry bodies and bright orange wings, hummingbird hawk-moths are out in full force this summer, with Britons taking to social media to share their snaps of the unusual creature. <\/p>\n
There were only eight recorded sightings of the hummingbird hawk-moth in the UK 2021, according to the National Trust. <\/p>\n
However this year, they say, is a “hummingbird hawk-moth summer”, with many more sightings being reported in gardens up and down the country this year. <\/p>\n
Animal tiles 0508<\/p>\n
If you have seen a moth with a distinctive grey furry body, bright orange wings, and what looked a little like a black-and-white “tail”, you may have spotted one too. <\/p>\n
Despite being a small species, growing up to 6cm long, the hummingbird hawk-moth is often mistaken for a tiny bird. <\/p>\n
“Its hovering flight is a distinguishing feature; it flutters its wings so quickly that it can appear orange and makes an audible hum”, say the Wildlife Trust. <\/p>\n
The quick-winged moth has a lot in common with the hummingbird, which it is named after, a species native to the Americas. <\/p>\n
However, the hummingbird hawk-moth can beat their wings up to 80 times a second, faster than their namesake \u2013 allowing them to fly up to 12 miles and hour. <\/p>\n
The quick-winged moth shares a lot with its namesake, the hummingbird. Credit: iStock <\/p>\n
Why are we seeing so many this year?<\/p>\n
The day-flying moth can be spotted in the UK in the summer, migrating from Southern Europe.<\/p>\n
It is more common in some years, but the Wildlife Trust’s Strategic lead on Agriculture Vicki Hird told ITV News that the number of sightings this year is “really unusual”. <\/p>\n
Experts have attributed this year’s hot weather and strong winds across Europe. <\/p>\n
“Windy conditions”, she explained, can “push” the moth “higher and over the country”.<\/p>\n
“It’s possible that their food sources in Europe are being challenged by the drought and that they are finding more [food] over here”, she added. <\/p>\n
The UK is also experiencing a once-in-a-decade “painted lady summer” as huge numbers of the migratory butterflies arrive and breed here, conservationists have said. <\/p>\n
Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation have also attributed this increase to warmer weather. <\/p>\n
The UK is experiencing a bumper butterfly season. Credit: PA \/ Butterfly Conservation<\/p>\n
Will a hummingbird hawk-moth visit my garden?<\/p>\n
If you want to spot a hummingbird hawk-moth in your garden, Vicki advises growing flowering plants. <\/p>\n
“These hummingbird hawk-moths absolutely love flowering plants like valerian and buddleia”, she said. <\/p>\n
The species also requires bedstraw to lay their eggs in, as this is what their caterpillars eat. <\/p>\n
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know\u2026 <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Play Brightcove video There were only eight recorded sightings of hummingbird hawk-moths in the UK in 2021, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":728752,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":["post-728751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=728751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/728752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=728751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=728751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=728751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}