Mysterious insects with giant trunks that look like hummingbirds flood Ukraine. Photo

In recent years, Ukraine has seen an increase in the number of interesting miniature creatures that fly very quickly over flowering gardens and look like a well-known exotic bird hummingbird. However, according to scientists, hummingbirds live in America, and there are no hummingbirds in Europe.

In our region, this tropical little bird is actually the hummingbird hawk-moth, a butterfly from the Sphingidae family. Like the hummingbird, it can hover over a flower, collecting its nectar, and can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, according to biologists from the Tsumanska Pushcha National Nature Park.

"This Sphingidae family butterfly has earned the popular name of 'Ukrainian hummingbird' due to its characteristics and behavior. Indeed, the resemblance is striking!" the experts emphasized on their Facebook page.

Unique abilities of the "Ukrainian hummingbird"

Although the common tongue is not a hummingbird, it undoubtedly deserves attention because it has many unique abilities. The first one is its ability to get food thanks to its extremely long proboscis, which resembles a tongue. The insect got its name from this external feature.

Interestingly, the proboscis of the "Ukrainian hummingbird" can be longer than its body and allows it to get nectar from the deepest parts of flowers, experts say.

This butterfly also has very good eyesight and is able to distinguish colors, which helps it find flowers with the highest concentration of nectar.

The superpower of the hummingbird hawk-moth is its speed and maneuverability. This fast bird flies at speeds of 60 to 80 km/h. This allows it to move instantly between flowers and avoid predators.

Like the hummingbird, this butterfly flaps its wings very quickly and is able to hover in the air above the flowers. This ability is fascinating.

The size and color of the butterfly also resembles the exotic bird, scientists say. Its front wings are brown, with black wavy lines across. The hind wings are orange with a black edge. The abdomen of the butterfly is quite wide, with a fan-shaped tail and bristles at the end. The wingspan is 38-50 mm, and the body length is 20-30 mm. Interestingly, the "Ukrainian hummingbird" can make up to 85 flaps of its tiny wings per second.

Thus, even though this butterfly is not a hummingbird, it is no less interesting to observe than the famous miniature bird.

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