Hummingbirds in France? (1 Viewer)

[sue127]

Can anyone help please?We live in Basse Normandy, France, about 60 miles north of Mont St Michel. Last night at 8.30 my husband was in the garden and saw a hovering animal taking nectar from one of our climing plants (honeysuckle) at about gutter level (15 - 18 ft I guess). This animal I would estimate to have a body of approx 2 inches and a proboscis of approximately the same size.
It was beating its wings in a blur to hover while it fed. The wing span would be a little more than the overall body length so maybe 5 to 6 inches. My immediate thought was hummingbird but the books for this region say they are not known here. It is definately too big for the hummingbird hawk moth which we have anyway. I can't tell you a colour as it was well into dusk but the rest of the info. is accurate, (and it was before the eveing glass of wine). Any ideas/help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Sue

 

[humminbird]

Can anyone help please?We live in Basse Normandy, France, about 60 miles north of Mont St Michel. Last night at 8.30 my husband was in the garden and saw a hovering animal taking nectar from one of our climing plants (honeysuckle) at about gutter level (15 - 18 ft I guess). This animal I would estimate to have a body of approx 2 inches and a proboscis of approximately the same size.
It was beating its wings in a blur to hover while it fed. The wing span would be a little more than the overall body length so maybe 5 to 6 inches. My immediate thought was hummingbird but the books for this region say they are not known here. It is definately too big for the hummingbird hawk moth which we have anyway. I can't tell you a colour as it was well into dusk but the rest of the info. is accurate, (and it was before the eveing glass of wine). Any ideas/help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Sue

I would suspect one of the many species known as hummingbird moths.

 

[Lisa W]

I agree with humminbird, those hummingbird moths have fooled a number of people.

 

[Vectis Birder]

Can anyone help please?We live in Basse Normandy, France, about 60 miles north of Mont St Michel. Last night at 8.30 my husband was in the garden and saw a hovering animal taking nectar from one of our climing plants (honeysuckle) at about gutter level (15 - 18 ft I guess). This animal I would estimate to have a body of approx 2 inches and a proboscis of approximately the same size.
It was beating its wings in a blur to hover while it fed. The wing span would be a little more than the overall body length so maybe 5 to 6 inches. My immediate thought was hummingbird but the books for this region say they are not known here. It is definately too big for the hummingbird hawk moth which we have anyway. I can't tell you a colour as it was well into dusk but the rest of the info. is accurate, (and it was before the eveing glass of wine). Any ideas/help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Sue

You saw a convolvulus hawk moth, I expect. We had one here last week and it is a big moth and similar to the hummingbird hawk moth. A lot of people are taken in by these moths, thinking they're hummingbirds, but hummingbirds do not occur in Europe.

 

[Ms Mimi]

I was just at Viviers France and videoed in full daylight in the sun the smallest hummingbird I have ever seen! I am calling in BeeAngel Hummer and I know the hummingbirds are only in the Americas but now ai don’t believe it! And have proof!who should I contact? National Geographic to report?

 

[KC Foggin]

Hi Sue & Ms Mimi and welcome aboard

You can upload a video in the forum so give it a try.

 

[mpeace]

I had to cut this video short for inclusion in BF, which is a shame, but still shows a good view of a hummingbird hawk moth in my garden in UK today. I shot it in slow motion. They dart around between flowers very quickly in real time.

 

[Ms Mimi]

wonderful!

 

[Ms Mimi]

I was just at Viviers France and videoed in full daylight in the sun the smallest hummingbird I have ever seen! I am calling it BeeAngel Hummer and I know the hummingbirds are only in the Americas -this hawk Humming-bird Hawk-moth was incredible! I took the photos from my iPhone video.

 

[Ms Mimi]

Here’s my short video of my BeeAngel !
In Vivier, France

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Nice video of Hummingbird Hawk Moth

 

[rosbifs]

Which are fairly widespread...

The Convolvulous is about 3 times the size of this and rare but incredible...

 

[electrathecat]

There haven't been any wild hummingbirds in Europe for millions, perhaps tens of millions, of years. The hummingbird hawk moth is eerily close as a mimic.

 

[lucia palmer]

I was just at Viviers France and videoed in full daylight in the sun the smallest hummingbird I have ever seen! I am calling in BeeAngel Hummer and I know the hummingbirds are only in the Americas but now ai don’t believe it! And have proof!who should I contact? National Geographic to report?

Mimi-I am on vacation in Annecy France. I have birded my whole life. Today in the flowers on a bridge in the old town I saw a tiny hummingbird
Feeding for a few minutes. My photos are not good but I saw him very well. You may want to contact the Cornell bird observatory in upstate NY, USA. Lucia Palmer. My email is [email protected]. Would love to hear from you!! I am from the US.

 

[lucia palmer]

Mimi-I am on vacation in Annecy France. I have birded my whole life. Today in the flowers on a bridge in the old town I saw a tiny hummingbird
Feeding for a few minutes. My photos are not good but I saw him very well. You may want to contact the Cornell bird observatory in upstate NY, USA. Lucia Palmer. My email is [email protected]. Would love to hear from you!! I am from the US.

I have now realized with the help of an online video including slow motion that I saw a hummingbird hawk moth which has reportedly fooled others as well.