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Chinese Mantis | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Chinese Mantis

Tenodera sinensis

InsectaMeadows, hedgerows, gardens and field margins with tall vegetation

Field profile

The Chinese mantis is a large mantis, commonly ten centimetres or more, brown or green with a pale stripe along the wing edge. It was introduced to North America over a century ago and is now the mantis most often sold for garden pest control. Its oothecae are frequently found on shrubs in winter.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-05-27

Chinese Mantis

Large mantises occasionally capture hummingbirds

Reviews of records from several continents document mantises, the Chinese mantis prominent among them, seizing and feeding on small birds. Nearly all cases involve hummingbirds at feeders in North America, and the behaviour is rare rather than routine.

Read with evidence →