Rare slow motion video of hummingbird and hummingbird moth flying together

Hummingbirds are so much fun to watch. But they fly so fast that you can hardly get a good look at them. Slow motion video helps to see how beautiful they are. Also, hummingbird moths are a rare sight to see and these people caught both on video, accidentally.

Hummingbirds are able to stroke with power both on the down- and up-beat of a wing flap. Their power and small size allow tremendous agility in flight. In fact, hummingbirds are the only vertebrates capable of sustained hovering (staying in one place during flight), and they can fly backward and upside-down as well.

To their maneuverability, hummingbirds add speed and stamina. They have been clocked at close to 30 mph indirect flight and more than 45 mph during courtship dives. Migratory ruby-throated hummingbirds have no problem flying 18 to 20 straight hours to cross the Gulf of Mexico, powered by their fat stores and given a bit of help from winds.

Hummingbird moths fly and move just like hummingbirds. Like them, they can remain suspended in the air in front of a flower while they unfurl their long tongues and insert them in flowers to sip their nectar. They even emit an audible hum like hummingbirds. Quite often inexperienced garden visitors notice what they think is a tiny hummingbird fleeting among flowers such as bee balm (Monarda). They listen incredulously when one explains to them that what they just saw was not a bird but a moth. A rare and wonderful surprise if you get to see one.
To video a hummingbird and then view the video to see that you caught both in flight with slow motion is amazing. Enjoy!!