It's (not) a bird or a bee - it's a White-lined Sphinx Moth

The monsoon rains during the past month have helped to produce a bumper population of butterflies and moths. During my afternoon walk I came across several of the White-lined Sphinx Moths - Hyles (or Hiles) lineata. At a quick glance with their rapid wing beats they resemble hummingbirds and are one of the larger moths in the Southwest.

Not the best quality shots but it was hard to capture this beauty at a still moment. Of course the rapid flight (the beat rate of those wings can be 41 beats per second means that they maintain a body temperature around 104 to 108 degrees.

Enjoy a short video of the moth at work on these flowers (the frame rate of the recording makes their wings appear to be moving slowly)