Found 2 items, similar to Hawk moth.
English → English (WordNet)
Definition: hawk moth
hawk moth
n : any of various moths with long narrow forewings capable of
powerful flight and hovering over flowers to feed [syn:
hawkmoth,
sphingid,
sphinx moth,
hummingbird moth]
English → English (gcide)
Definition: Hawk moth
Hawk
\Hawk\ (h[add]k), n. [OE. hauk (prob. fr. Icel.), havek,
AS. hafoc, heafoc; akin to D. havik, OHG. habuh, G. habicht,
Icel. haukr, Sw. h["o]k, Dan. h["o]g, prob. from the root of
E. heave.] (Zo["o]l.)
One of numerous species and genera of rapacious birds of the
family
Falconid[ae]. They differ from the true falcons in
lacking the prominent tooth and notch of the bill, and in
having shorter and less pointed wings. Many are of large size
and grade into the eagles. Some, as the goshawk, were
formerly trained like falcons. In a more general sense the
word is not infrequently applied, also, to true falcons, as
the sparrow hawk, pigeon hawk, duck hawk, and prairie hawk.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Among the common American species are the red-tailed
hawk (
Buteo borealis); the red-shouldered (
Buteo lineatus
); the broad-winged (
Buteo Pennsylvanicus);
the rough-legged (
Archibuteo lagopus); the
sharp-shinned (
Accipiter fuscus). See
Fishhawk,
Goshawk,
Marsh hawk, under
Marsh,
Night hawk,
under
Night.
[1913 Webster]
Bee hawk (Zo["o]l.), the honey buzzard.
Eagle hawk. See under
Eagle.
Hawk eagle (Zo["o]l.), an Asiatic bird of the genus
Spiz[ae]tus, or
Limn[ae]tus, intermediate between the
hawks and eagles. There are several species.
Hawk fly (Zo["o]l.), a voracious fly of the family
Asilid[ae]. See
Hornet fly, under
Hornet.
Hawk moth. (Zo["o]l.) See
Hawk moth, in the Vocabulary.
Hawk owl. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) A northern owl (
Surnia ulula) of Europe and America. It
flies by day, and in some respects resembles the hawks.
(b) An owl of India (
Ninox scutellatus).
Hawk's bill (Horology), the pawl for the rack, in the
striking mechanism of a clock.
[1913 Webster]
Hawk moth
\Hawk" moth`\ (m[o^]th`; 115). (Zo["o]l.)
Any moth of the family
Sphingid[ae], of which there are
numerous genera and species. They are large, handsome moths
with long narrow forewings capable of powerful flight and
hovering over flowers to feed. They fly mostly at twilight
and hover about flowers like a humming bird, sucking the
honey by means of a long, slender proboscis. The larv[ae] are
large, hairless caterpillars ornamented with green and other
bright colors, and often with a caudal spine. See
Sphinx,
also
Tobacco worm, and
Tomato worm.
Syn: hawk moth, sphingid, sphinx moth, hummingbird moth.
[1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5] Tobacco Hawk Moth
(
Macrosila Carolina), and its Larva, the Tobacco Worm.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The larv[ae] of several species of hawk moths feed on
grapevines. The elm-tree hawk moth is
Ceratomia Amyntor
.
[1913 Webster]