Convolvulus Hawk-moth

Quick Facts

Name: Convolvulus Hawk-moth

Diet: Leaves of the convolvulus plant for the caterpillars and nectar from long, tubular plants like lilies for adults.

Behaviour: Nocturnal

Lifespan: 45 days

Size: Adults have a wingspan of up to 12cm and 4.5cm long bodies, the caterpillars are much smaller.

Habitat/Range: A wide array of habitats, including gardens, warm agricultural areas, and open grasslands. They have a wide range including the Americas, tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. 

Threats: Light Pollution

Conservation Status: Non-threatened

Names & Nicknames: Convolvulus Hawk-moth, Sweet potato moth, Kumara moth, hīhue

Size: A sizeable moth with a sizeable appendage. (No, not that.) These nocturnal fliers have a wingspan of up to 12 centimetres, a 4.5cm body and a lengthy proboscis (a long sucky insect mouth part) that can get up to 13cm, almost three times as long as its body!

Smell: You might get a sniff before you get the sight. Yep, convolvulus hawk-moth caterpillars are known for their stinky pungent get-togethers – often while feasting. Some say if there are swarms of these caterpillars about, you'll smell their distinct odour wafting through the air.

Communication: One of the most important reasons to communicate in the animal world is to find bae. Convolvulus hawk-moths are no different, but whereas some animals use flashy colours or loud sounds to find a mate, hawk-moths prefer the scent of love, releasing sex pheromones into the air to attract the one.

Favourite Hangout: They can be found in many habitats across tropical and subtropical Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, apart from dense forests. However, their absolute favourite hangout is a nice warm and open area where they can really stretch their wings.

Favourite Snack: Convolvulus by name, convolvulus by nature. This moth's caterpillar's favourite snack of choice is the leaves of the convolvulus plant, a group of flowering plants also called bindweeds. The adults have a different diet, though...

Eating Habits: Ugh, isn’t it just so annoying when a plant's nectar is all the way at the bottom of a long flower? Well, that isn’t a problem for adult convolvulus hawk-moths. They use a 13cm long proboscis to reach hard-to-get nectar in tubular puzzles like tobacco plants, petunias, and lilies – often flowers that other moths can't reach because their proboscis aren't long enough.

Love Language: Love is in the air. Quite literally, as females will emit small puffs of love pheromones that spread throughout the environment, captivating every male that notices. In the moth world, females have the power, and males may have to compete for their chance at love.

If you see them: Don’t be alarmed; despite their impressive size and mesmerising patterns, they just want to go about their nights sipping on that sweet nectar and then crash out and rest during the days.

Red Flags: Light. An essential tool for us in the dark and our weak human eyes, but not for our moth friends. They're attracted to artificial lights at night, which can disrupt their natural behaviours and make them more vulnerable to predators.

Epic Journeys: Although these moths can be found in places like the U.K. and northern Europe, they don't live there permanently, and who can blame them? They prefer a warmer climate, sticking around the subtropics and tropics and only venturing to the cooler locations when the sun is shining, often being spotted in the UK in late summer, for example.

Glow-up: That classic lifecycle you learnt for butterflies in primary school, but make it moth. These nocturnal flappers first emerge from eggs as caterpillars. They need to get big and strong munching on leaves before they can begin their magical transformation by forming a pupa and emerging as a beautiful convolvulus hawk-moth.

Facts: Having such a long and special sucker means that this moth species can pollinate plants that many others can't. Because of this, they're one of the most important pollinators to many native African plants!

Who are they in the friendship group: Only ever drinks through a long straw.