Convolvulus hawk-moth
The convolvulus hawk-moth is a big grey moth with pink and black stripes on its tummy. At sunset it zooms into gardens and hovers in front of flowers like a little hummingbird. Its tongue is longer than its whole body.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
How big is Convolvulus hawk-moth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
Its very long tongue lets it reach the sweet nectar at the bottom of long trumpet flowers, like tobacco plants and petunias.
It flies best around sunset and in the twilight.
Many of these moths travel long distances, flying to new countries every year.
Its caterpillars come in different colours: brown, bright green or black.
In New Zealand it is called the kumara moth, because its caterpillars eat kumara, the sweet potato.
Most asked questions about Convolvulus hawk-moth
?How big is the convolvulus hawk-moth?
It is a big moth, with wings 8 to 10,5 centimetres from tip to tip.
?What does the convolvulus hawk-moth eat?
The grown-up moth drinks flower nectar. The caterpillars eat bindweed and sweet potato leaves.
?Why do convolvulus hawk-moths fly into lights?
They are very attracted to light, like many moths, so they often fly towards lamps at night.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Agrius convolvuli
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Sphingidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Oceania
- Also known as
- Kumara moth
Where the facts come from
- Agrius convolvuli (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by NireshaJAththa. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.
Atlas moth
Luna moth
Hummingbird hawk-moth
Domestic silk moth
Isabella tiger moth
Polyphemus moth
Common shiny woodlouse
Emerald jumper
Brown planthopper
Ladybird spider
Carolina grasshopper
Rose bedeguar gall wasp