23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Wildlife
Hummingbird Moth in Loreto

The locals call these bright moths a hummingbird moth. They are about the size of a hummingbird, and they constantly hover over the flowers, inserting their very long proboscis to gather the nectar. In nine years, I have only seen ONE of these moths, even though I have searched for them quite a lot. This year we hit the hatch time just right - there were literally hundreds of these beautiful creatures flying around anywhere there were flowers.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2025
Date Uploaded: 12.2025
Photo Location: Loreto, Mexico
Camera: NIKON Z 8
Copyright: © Richard Fox