The Giant Wood Moth

[The Jolly Swagman]

In late Spring and early Summer ( Like about now) in my State of Queensland Eastern Australia, the RSPCA and the various Wild Life people often receive calls from people who report seeing birds flying at night around street lights. What they are seeing is the Giant Wood Moth that has hatched from its pupae in eucalypt trees. Of course they could also be seeing birds of the night such as the Tawny Frogmouth taking up the offer of a nice moth.
However, mainly people are reporting the moth. The Giant Wood Moth is the Worlds largest moth weighing in at 30 grams and with a wing span of 25 cms .(10 inches). The aborigines used to travel down the water courses searching for these delicacies and cooked them up as Witchety grubs ( I hear they taste like fried eggs...I will take their word for it) but they had to compete with the Black Cockatoos who used their strong bills to rip open the bark and uncover them

[goosey]

What a size, no wonder people confuse them with birds.
Here and Britain we have Hummingbird Hawkmoths which people reported as seeing humming birds. This was only a few years back when milder weather brought them to our shores more often - now I think they are seen as far north as Scotland. Guy has a fantastic image in the gallery of one of these - a real beauty -

.

I love moths, but have only been interested in them for a couple of years. I have made my small town garden as wildlife friendly as poss' and have planted to attract, moths butterflies insects and birds. I spend my spring and summer evenings running round with a torch, ladder and camera trying to take photos of them and then ID them - great fun but I get a few odd looks from neighbours - "the crazy English woman is at it again "
there are a few thousand species here but I have only been able to record about 60 different species in the garden - so far!! The summer just gone was much poorer than last year so I have great hopes for the coming year!

I would love to see your image more clearly, but I can only see the thumbnail - and my eyes aren't what they use to be so could you put it in the insect gallery so I can see it properly - please .

[paul m]

It's a reet big un as they would say around here. Are they numerous? Because of their size one would expect them to be fairly easy prey as 'adults'?

Originally Posted by The Jolly Swagman

In late Spring and early Summer ( Like about now) in my State of Queensland Eastern Australia, the RSPCA and the various Wild Life people often receive calls from people who report seeing birds flying at night around street lights. What they are seeing is the Giant Wood Moth that has hatched from its pupae in eucalypt trees. Of course they could also be seeing birds of the night such as the Tawny Frogmouth taking up the offer of a nice moth.
However, mainly people are reporting the moth. The Giant Wood Moth is the Worlds largest moth weighing in at 30 grams and with a wing span of 25 cms .(10 inches). The aborigines used to travel down the water courses searching for these delicacies and cooked them up as Witchety grubs ( I hear they taste like fried eggs...I will take their word for it) but they had to compete with the Black Cockatoos who used their strong bills to rip open the bark and uncover them