I saw a bird yesterday that was about as big as the tip of my finger. It looked like a bee. What could it be?

Question

I thought it was a hummingbird, but one was nearby and didn't look anything like it. It looked like a mutated bee. You could see a tiny tail and a curved bill. It was getting nectar from a butterfly bush.

Answer 1

Sphinx Moth or Hummingbird  Moth, I have only seen one in my lifetime.

http://72.41.49.149/page5b.html

Answer 2

it was a humming bird. there are some breeds of humming bird that look like that. did it look like this? maybe it was a hawk moth   http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http...

Answer 3

there are plenty of dusk time moths, or butterflies who fly that way - they visit the flowers, hover nearby and suck the nectar. if you are living in the mild climate /europe, for instance/ it is definitely some of them

the one depicted in the source is rather common where i live /central Europe/

Answer 4

Sounds like a hummingbird moth.  They look sort of like a hummingbird only smaller.  It also could have been a bumble bee moth.

I have hummingbird moths in my garden all the time. They act just like a small bird.