List of birds by flight speed

This is a list of the fastest flying birds in the world. A bird's velocity is necessarily variable; a hunting bird will reach much greater speeds while diving to catch prey than when flying horizontally. The bird that can achieve the greatest airspeed is the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), able to exceed 320 km/h (200 mph) in its dives.^[1]^[2] A close relative of the common swift, the white-throated needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus), is commonly reported as the fastest bird in level flight with a reported top speed of 169 km/h (105 mph). This record remains unconfirmed as the measurement methods have never been published or verified. The record for the fastest confirmed level flight by a bird is 111.5 km/h (69.3 mph) held by the common swift.^[3]

Birds by flying speed

Common name	Species	Family	Average horizontal speed	Maximum horizontal speed	Maximum airspeed	Remark
Peregrine falcon	Falco peregrinus	Falconidae	65–90 km/h 40–56 mph^[4]	110 km/h 68 mph^[4]	389 km/h 242 mph^[5]	High-speed dive—pointed long wings
Saker falcon	Falco cherrug	Falconidae		150 km/h 93 mph^[6]	320 km/h 200 mph^[7]	High-speed dive—pointed long wings
Golden eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Accipitridae	45–51 km/h 28–32 mph^[8]	129 km/h 80 mph^[8]	322 km/h 200 mph^[8]
Grey-headed albatross	Thalassarche Chrysostoma	Diomedeidae		127 km/h 79 mph^[9]^[10]^{[note 1]}		2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) wingspan allows for high power use from wind.
Gyrfalcon	Falco rusticolus	Falconidae	80–100 km/h 50–62 mph	145 km/h 90 mph^[11]	187–209 km/h 116–130 mph^[12]	High-speed dive—pointed long wings
White-throated needletail	Hirundapus caudacutus	Apodidae		169 km/h 105 mph^[3] ^{[note 2]}	169 km/h 105 mph	High-speed wings
Common swift	Apus apus	Apodidae ^[13]		111.6 km/h 69.3 mph^[3]	166 km/h 103 mph	High-speed wings
Eurasian hobby	Falco subbuteo	Falconidae^[14]			159 km/h 99 mph	Can sometimes outfly the swift as it eats them and catches them on the wing.
Frigatebird	Fregata	Fregatidae^[15]			153 km/h 95 mph	Slow gliding/soaring high aspect ratio
Spur-winged goose	Plectropterus	Anatidae^[16]			143 km/h 89 mph	High-speed wings
Red-breasted merganser	Mergus serrator	Anatidae^[17]			130 km/h 81 mph	High–aspect ratio wings
Canvasback	Aythya valisineria	Anatidae^[18]			128 km/h 80 mph	High-speed wings
Common eider	Somateria mollissima	Anatidae^[19]			123 km/h 76 mph	High-speed wings
Eurasian teal	Anas crecca	Anatidae			97 km/h 60 mph	High–aspect ratio wings
Anna's hummingbird	Calypte anna	Trochilidae		56 km/h 35 mph^[20]	70 km/h 43 mph	Rapidly-beating wings

Note

^ Sustained ground speed for approximately nine hours with no rest on high tailwinds during an Antarctic storm.
^ The BBC warns against taking this value too seriously, as the methods employed to measure it have never been published, rendering its verification difficult.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ "Basic Facts About Peregrine Falcon". Defenders of Wildlife. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (January 15, 2008). "All About the Peregrine Falcon". Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 2008-04-16. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bourton, Jody (2 March 2010). "Supercharged swifts take flight speed record". BBC Earth News. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Fastest on Earth: Malik fuel". Extreme Science. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
^ Harpole, Tom (March 2005). "Falling with the Falcon". Air & Space magazine. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
^ "The Saker Falcon in Austria". Retrieved 27 December 2020.
^ "Saker Falcon". 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kirschbaum, Kari; Ivory, Alicia (2002). "Aquila chrysaetos golden eagle". The Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
^ "Guinness Records - Fastest Bird Level Flight". Guinness World Records Limited. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
^ Catry, Paulo; Phillips, Richard A.; Croxall, John P. (2004-10-01). "Sustained Fast Travel by a Gray-Headed Albatross (Thalassarche Chrysostoma) Riding an Antarctic Storm". The Auk. 121 (4): 1208–1213. doi:10.1093/auk/121.4.1208. ISSN 1938-4254.
^ "Gyrfalcon - Animal Ark".
^ Tucker, V. A.; Cade, T. J.; Tucker, A. E. (July 1998). "Diving speeds and angles of a gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)" (PDF). Journal of Experimental Biology. 201: 2061–2070. PMID 9622578.
^ "swifts". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
^ Hobby, Falco subbuteo
^ Animal Corner; Sea Birds Frigate Bird Galapagos Sea Birds - The Great Frigate Bird and the Magnificent Frigate Bird
^ Free find Spur-Winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis - Kenya Birds
^ The Cornell lab of Ornithology - Cornell University Bird Guide - Red-breasted Merganser
^ Ducks Unlimited - Wet-lands conversation Canvasback
^ Family XXXIX. Anatinae. Ducks. Family The Eider Duck. [common Eider.] Genus Fuligula mollissima, Linn. [Somateria mollissima.]
^ Clark, C. J.; Dudley, R. (2009). "Flight costs of long, sexually selected tails in hummingbirds". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 276 (1664): 2109–2115. doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.0090. PMC 2677254. PMID 19324747.

External links

[11] Sustained ground speed for approximately nine hours with no rest on high tailwinds during an Antarctic storm.

[14] The BBC warns against taking this value too seriously, as the methods employed to measure it have never been published, rendering its verification difficult.^{[citation needed]}

[1] "Basic Facts About Peregrine Falcon". Defenders of Wildlife. Retrieved 14 May 2013.

[2] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (January 15, 2008). "All About the Peregrine Falcon". Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 2008-04-16. Retrieved 14 May 2013.

[:0-3] Bourton, Jody (2 March 2010). "Supercharged swifts take flight speed record". BBC Earth News. Retrieved 14 May 2013.

[exsci-4] "Fastest on Earth: Malik fuel". Extreme Science. Retrieved 14 May 2013.

[5] Harpole, Tom (March 2005). "Falling with the Falcon". Air & Space magazine. Retrieved 14 May 2013.

[6] "The Saker Falcon in Austria". Retrieved 27 December 2020.

[7] "Saker Falcon". 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.

[ADW-8] Kirschbaum, Kari; Ivory, Alicia (2002). "Aquila chrysaetos golden eagle". The Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved 14 May 2013.

[9] "Guinness Records - Fastest Bird Level Flight". Guinness World Records Limited. Retrieved 12 April 2014.

[10] Catry, Paulo; Phillips, Richard A.; Croxall, John P. (2004-10-01). "Sustained Fast Travel by a Gray-Headed Albatross (Thalassarche Chrysostoma) Riding an Antarctic Storm". The Auk. 121 (4): 1208–1213. doi:10.1093/auk/121.4.1208. ISSN 1938-4254.

[12] "Gyrfalcon - Animal Ark".

[13] Tucker, V. A.; Cade, T. J.; Tucker, A. E. (July 1998). "Diving speeds and angles of a gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)" (PDF). Journal of Experimental Biology. 201: 2061–2070. PMID 9622578.

[15] "swifts". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.

[16] Hobby, Falco subbuteo

[17] Animal Corner; Sea Birds Frigate Bird Galapagos Sea Birds - The Great Frigate Bird and the Magnificent Frigate Bird

[18] Free find Spur-Winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis - Kenya Birds

[19] The Cornell lab of Ornithology - Cornell University Bird Guide - Red-breasted Merganser

[20] Ducks Unlimited - Wet-lands conversation Canvasback

[21] Family XXXIX. Anatinae. Ducks. Family The Eider Duck. [common Eider.] Genus Fuligula mollissima, Linn. [Somateria mollissima.]

[22] Clark, C. J.; Dudley, R. (2009). "Flight costs of long, sexually selected tails in hummingbirds". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 276 (1664): 2109–2115. doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.0090. PMC 2677254. PMID 19324747.

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List of birds by flight speed

Birds by flying speed

See also

Note

References

External links

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