I’m sorry to disappoint you but we do not have any hummingbirds on Okinawa.  We do have hawk moths that resemble hummingbirds. The hawk moths are also called hummingbird moths. They are extremely fast and challenging to photograph.

I used a slow shutter speed to convey motion in the wings of the Hummingbird hawk moth (Macroglossum corythus)

Hummingbird hawk-moth

I often find the insects feeding early morning and or late in the evening. They feed using a long proboscis to drink the nectar.

Hummingbird hawk-moth

They are hard to see since they are small (35 -45mm) and move extremely fast. They can be heard creating a humming sound as they fly by. They hover for a short period of time collecting the nectar and move on to the next flower.

Hummingbird hawk-moth

Hummingbird hawk-moth

The Convolvulus hawk moth ( Agrius convolvuli ) is the largest hawk moth I have seen on Okinawa.

Convolvulus hawk moth

Convolvulus hawk moth

The Impatiens Hawk moth feeds in the evening. I found this moth resting on a plant.

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae)

Photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours project

Hawkmoth – MYN

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae) larvae photographed on white using the MYN studio technique.

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae) larvae

Green Pergesa Hawk moth larvae ( Pergesa acteaus)

 My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically  to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link  paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines.  Thank you for your support.                    Shawn M Miller.