Hummingbird Moth vs White-lined Sphinx
Hemaris thysbe vs Hyles lineata
Both hover at flowers and both get reported as hummingbirds, and both are completely harmless. The hummingbird clearwing has see-through panels in its wings and flies in full sun. The white-lined sphinx is larger, has solid wings with a flash of pink, and mostly flies at dusk.
The one thing that settles it
Clear windows in the wings. The hummingbird clearwing loses the scales from the middle of its wings on its first flight, leaving transparent panels edged in dark brown. The white-lined sphinx never has them — its forewings are solid, dark, and crossed by fine white lines along the veins. Nothing else needs checking.
Side by side
| Character | Hummingbird Moth | White-lined Sphinx |
|---|---|---|
| Danger | Harmless | Harmless |
| Wings | Clear transparent panels edged in brown | Solid dark forewing with white-outlined veins and one pale stripe |
| Hindwing | Also clear-panelled, no bright colour | Bright pink band, usually seen only in flight |
| Size | Wingspan 40–55 mm — about a thumb joint | Wingspan 60–90 mm — noticeably bigger and heavier |
| When it flies | Broad daylight, often mid-afternoon | Mostly dusk, though it will fly in daylight too |
| Body | Olive-green with a rust-red band and a flared tail tuft | Heavy, torpedo-shaped, brown with pale striping |
| Comes to lights | No — it is a daytime moth | Yes, and a heavy moth thumping a porch light at night is often this |
Why they get confused
Because they solve the same problem the same way. Both feed on the wing rather than landing, hold station in front of a flower, drink through a long extended tube, and beat their wings fast enough to hum. That combination reads as "hummingbird" to almost everyone, and the two moths get pooled under the same name. "Hummingbird moth" is not a single species — it usually means the hummingbird clearwing, sometimes the snowberry clearwing, and often this one.
If you still can’t tell
Note the time of day and the size. A small hovering moth in the middle of a sunny afternoon is a clearwing; a large one working a flowerbed as the light goes is a white-lined sphinx. If you have a photograph, look through the wing — if you can see the flower behind it, it is the clearwing. Either way nothing here can hurt you, so there is no wrong answer to get anxious about.
Common questions
Do either of them sting?
No. Neither has a sting, and neither can bite — both feed through a coiled tube. You can stand next to one and photograph it from inches away.
Is this the European hummingbird hawk-moth?
Not in North America. Macroglossum stellatarum is a different species and does not occur here. The name gets borrowed constantly, which is part of the confusion.
Is the caterpillar's horn dangerous?
No. Both are hornworms as larvae, and the spike at the rear end is completely harmless — no venom and no sharp point that matters.
Full records
- Hummingbird Moth Harmless
- White-lined Sphinx Harmless
Where this was checked
- iNaturalist — Hemaris thysbe checked 2026-07-30
- iNaturalist — Hyles lineata checked 2026-07-30
- BugGuide — Hemaris thysbe (Hummingbird Clearwing, Hodges#7853) checked 2026-07-30
- BugGuide — Hyles lineata (White-lined Sphinx, Hodges#7894) checked 2026-07-30
Last reviewed 2026-07-30. We identify, we don’t diagnose — what we can and can’t tell you.