Unnecessary Carnage: Hawkmoth from Malta

That scared life of me!
Location: Sliema, Malta
August 21, 2011 4:23 pm
Hi,
Could you please let me know what creature it is on the attached photo?
Since the photo has limited capabilities let me give you few more details.
It entered our apartment at night time (no lights, just an open window)
It had a wings span of approximately 15-20cm, length: 7-8cm, and when flying it was very fast and moving in a very chaotic motion.
Your help would be very much appreciated 🙂
Thank you in advance, John
Signature: John

Dear Staff,
Please help me with identifying the bug I sent you. I have tried to do my reaserch in the Internet but without success.
My wife wants to sleep with closed windows in this 32°C heat here in Malta, because she is scared that this creature will come again. So I need to figure this bug out soon.
I appreciate your time. THANK YOU!!!
Best regards,
John

Hi John,
This harmless Hawkmoth in the family Sphingidae looks perfectly dead, and your wife need not fear its resurrection.  In our opinion, this death was preventable, and we are tagging this posting as Unnecessary Carnage.