The hummingbird hawk-moth is a day-flying hawk-moth whose hovering flight, audible wing-hum, and long proboscis so closely mimic a feeding hummingbird that it is routinely mistaken for one — a classic case of convergent evolution. Active in bright sunshine, adults hover at tubular flowers such as lavender, red valerian, verbena, and buddleia across gardens from southern Europe to temperate Asia. Larvae feed mainly on bedstraw (Galium) and madder (Rubia). Unusually for a European hawk-moth, it can overwinter as an adult, though successful hibernation depends on mild conditions and is reliable only in the warmer south.

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Distributed across the northern Old World from Portugal and North Africa to Japan; breeds mainly in southern Europe and North Africa, with migrants reaching Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia each summer.