Feathered Thorn vs White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Feathered Thorn White-Lined Sphinx Moth
Scientific Name Colotois pennaria Hyles lineata
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Geometridae Sphingidae
Size 40-50 mm wingspan 65-90 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Deserts & Drylands
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, western Asia Throughout North America from Canada to Central America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Feathered Thorn

An autumn-flying moth with warm orange-brown wings and males bearing dramatically feathered antennae. It flies late in the year when few other moths are active.

💡

Did You Know?

Males use their enormous feathered antennae to detect female pheromones on cold autumn nights.

White-Lined Sphinx Moth

A common sphinx moth with bold white stripes on its forewings and a pink-banded hindwing. It hovers at flowers like a hummingbird and is active at dusk.

💡

Did You Know?

During outbreak years, its caterpillars can be so numerous they cross roads in large numbers and are called armyworms.