In a hunting dive, the Peregrine falcon is the world's fastest bird, and the world's fastest animal.
During this dive, the Peregrine falcon flies to a high altitude and then dives down steeply at speeds of up to 386 km per hour.
The diving speed of the Peregrine falcon is amazing. And yet this bird is not in the top 10 when flying flat. Studies have clocked an Indian bird, the spine-tailed swift, at a speed of more than 160 km per hour.
What about other birds? Scientists who have tracked birds with Doppler radar say most birds fly around 40 km per hour. But ducks and other waterbirds, and homing pigeons often fly twice as fast. Headwinds or tailwinds change a bird's speed. Birds also fly faster when chasing prey or escaping a predator.
Anywhere: In a hunting dive, the Peregrine falcon is the world's fastest bird, and the world's fastest animal.
Peregrine Falcon on YouTube
