Which bird is the fastest?

Birds are very interesting animals. There are about 11 thousand of them on the planet. various types, among them there are those that are very similar to each other and those that stand out clearly from others and not only visually, due to their unusual coloring, but also due to their body structure and capabilities. So, for example, one of the smallest winged creatures, the hummingbird, can fly backwards. The largest bird reaches the height of a person, and can weigh up to 160 kilograms - this is the African ostrich. Many of them are known to have unusually keen eyesight, but the falcon's ability to see up to 4 kilometers away is truly impressive. But which one is the best fast bird in the world? We have to find out.

Our list opens with the rather clumsy bird Eider. Her body is not designed for traveling on foot, so she spends most of her life on the water. It also flies rarely, but does it quickly; an adult is able to cover from 70 to 90 kilometers in an hour. This is far from the best result, but Gaga is clearly not offended, because she holds the record for the deepest dive into water - up to 50 meters.

9. Field Thrush

Among the fastest birds in the world is the very warlike thrush, whose favorite delicacy is rowan, which influenced its name. It can fly at speeds of over 80 km/h, and is also famous for shooting its own droppings at its opponents and enemies.

8. White-breasted American Swift

There are many varieties of swifts, but this particular one is capable of reaching speeds of up to 125 km/h. It spends much more time in the air than anywhere else, because it hunts insects, which it constantly looks out for while in flight.

7. Spur goose

Among the top 10 fastest birds in the world with a result of 143 km/h is the spur goose. It lives on the African continent, eats aquatic plants, but can also covet wheat and other crops. In addition, it has at its disposal poisonous needle-like spurs, which are located on the break of its wing. To fill them with poison, he also eats blister beetles.

6. Medium merganser

There is no faster duck on planet Earth than the merganser. It differs in that it can stay under water for more than a minute and that already in the first hour of its life, ducks of this species conquer the expanses of water without fear of drowning.

5. Grey-headed albatross

The albatross is without any doubt the fastest feathered animal, but it holds the record in horizontal flight. It can accelerate to 128 km/h and fly for about 7-8 hours without slowing down. Only these winged creatures have such endurance.

With an indicator of 150 km/h, fourth place on our list is the frigate - an African relative of the pelican. It does not have the most pleasant character and habits, because without a twinge of conscience it occupies other people’s nests, steals food and even chicks.

A predatory representative of birds with very modest dimensions. In height it rarely exceeds 35 cm, but in speed it will give many a head start, because it develops about 240 km/h.

Being a representative of the eagle genus, the golden eagle impresses with its size. Its wingspan can reach 2.5 meters, which explains its ability to fly at speeds of 250-320 km/h. It hunts small rodents and other birds, but can also grab a sheep if it takes its fancy.

The speed of the fastest bird in the world is 325 km/h and it is the peregrine falcon. No land creature, much less an underwater one, can accelerate so much, which makes it the fastest among all. The peregrine falcon is capable of such an indicator when it enters a dive, hunting for its next victim. At the same time, he only needs to tangentially touch potential prey with his claws, and it is guaranteed to be dead.

The fastest birds

Regarding speed, all birds are divided into 2 categories, the first category reaches maximum speed during normal flight, while the second develop speed during a dive. Kinetic energy depends on many indicators, such as body weight, flight altitude, free fall acceleration.

When diving, birds do not fly; they fall freely. But during horizontal flight, the speed changes depending on the acceleration and body weight. Let's look at the five fastest birds on our planet.

Fifth place – Cheglok

The Hobby is a member of the falcon family, a very small bird and opens the top five fastest birds in the world. Dials Hobby speed up to 160 km/h, and the wingspan is 80 cm. The Hobby can be confused with the Peregrine Falcon, but its size gives it away; it reaches 28-36 cm in length. During flight, the wings are shaped like a sickle. It chooses forest and forest-steppe zones for its habitat; its diet includes small birds and large insects, such as butterflies, beetles, and dragonflies. May also eat mice or small animals.

The Hobby also likes to hunt the needle-tailed swift. Interesting detail Hobby can catch as prey a bird that is 3 times its size, although the meat requirement of this bird is only 30 grams per day.

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Fourth place – Frigate

The frigate genus includes 5 species of birds. It lives mainly in the tropics and subtropics. They like to spend most of their time flying over bodies of water. The frigate's wingspan reaches 244 cm, its length is 75-114 cm, and its body weight is only 500-1500 g. These indicators contribute to a strong impulse, which allows the frigate to gain speed. Frigates take prey from others water birds, although they could perfectly get food on their own.

That's why frigate birds are called thief birds. They even build nests from stolen materials. At the same time, the wings of a frigate have a structure that does not allow them to take off from the ground. Frigates reach speeds of up to 153 km/h.

For the state of Naur, frigates are their symbol; local residents use them to catch fish. At the same time, the Polynesian people use frigates as a post office for exchanging messages, like pigeons. Frigates are tamed and taught various tricks. You can even feed them from the mouth.

Third place – Needle-tailed swift

A representative of the swift family is the needle-tailed swift. Only small ones in the diet

Birds are rightfully considered to be the fastest living creatures on the planet. Moving in the air, flyers can develop tremendous speed. Some species of birds can compete in aerial flight with the first created aircraft.

– a large waterfowl opens the ranking of the fastest birds on the planet. With a body length of 48 to 56 cm and a weight of up to 1.5 kg, the dive is capable of speeds in the air of up to 116 km/h. Its flight is easy and longer duration among others from the duck family. In addition, the duck runs quite fast and swims well. This species is widespread in Central, Central Asia and Western Siberia. These birds prefer to settle next to fresh water bodies overgrown with reeds. The main food of the duck is seeds, aquatic plants, shellfish, and fish.

9. White-breasted American swift speed 124 km/h

With a horizontal flight speed of 124 km/h, it is ranked ninth in the ranking of the fastest birds in the world. These are small birds, similar in appearance to swallows, widely distributed in Europe, North Africa and Asia. They choose rocky areas for habitat, but can also exist in urban environments. The main food of the white-breasted American swift is insects, which it catches in flight. They spend most of their lives in the air and prefer not to build their own nests, but to settle in the dwellings of others - swifts and swallows.

8. Average merganser speed 129 km/h

Belongs to the duck family and is considered one of the fastest birds in the world. In flight, a duck can reach speeds of up to 129 km/h. The average merganser is quite large - its body length can reach half a meter and its weight is 1.3 kg. Like others from the duck family, this species can swim and dive well. You can meet the common merganser in North America and Eurasia. For its habitat, it chooses flowing lakes and rivers, where it feeds on fish, frogs, insects and worms.

7. Spur goose speed 142 km/h

It is one of the fastest birds in the world, capable of flying at speeds of up to 142 km/h. This species belongs to the duck family and is quite large in size: it can reach 1 meter in length, and it gains up to 6 kg in body weight. Males are larger than females. The spur goose runs quite well and nimbly on the ground, and in its manner of movement it resembles a heron. It is common in South America, in particular in Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and prefers to settle near freshwater bodies. These geese prefer aquatic and coastal plants, as well as insects and small fish as food.

6. Grey-headed albatross speed 147 km/h

With dimensions of 81 cm in length and a wingspan of 2 meters, it can reach speeds in airspace of up to 147 km/h. For a very long time he is able to remain in flight and covers enormous distances throughout his life, going around several times. globe. Its habitat is the islands of the Southern Ocean. Grey-headed albatrosses feed mainly on squid, fish and shellfish. They can dive to depths of up to 7 m to get food.

5. Frigate speed 150 km/h

He is one of the fastest flyers in the world, reaching speeds of up to 150 km/h. Frigates prefer to spend most of their time hovering in the air without moving their wings. They have rather long and narrow wings, the span of which can reach 2.5 m. With a height of 1.1 m in length, their body weight can reach 1.5 kg. Skilled flyers move rather clumsily and cannot swim. Distinctive feature The male has an inflatable red throat pouch with which he lures the female. These birds chose tropical islands as their habitat. subtropical zone. They can be found in Australia and Polynesia. Since frigates themselves cannot swim, they hunt flying fish or take prey from aquatic birds.

4. Shoglock speed 160 km/h

– small bird of prey The falcon family is one of the fastest birds in the world in terms of flight speed. With a wingspan of 80 cm, the Hobby is capable of speeds of up to 160 km/h. Outwardly, it is similar to the peregrine falcon, but differs in size, which is 28-36 cm. The flapping of its wings is fast and maneuverable, alternating with gliding, taking the shape of a sickle. The flyer is common throughout the continent of Eurasia and prefers to settle in forests and forest-steppe zones. Since it is a predator, it feeds on small birds, as well as large insects - beetles, butterflies and dragonflies. Less commonly, mice and other small animals become its delicacy.

3. Needle-tailed swift speed 170 km/h

Unveils the top three fastest birds in the world. The swiftlet flyer, with a wingspan of 55 cm, is capable of gaining speed in horizontal flight of 170 km/h. Its body length reaches 22 cm, and its weight is about 150 grams. Spiny swifts can be found in South Asia, Far East and Siberia. For settlement, they choose groves and forests near bodies of water. The peculiarity of these flyers is that they never land on the ground.

2. Berkut speed 320 km/h

– one of the fastest flyers, capable of reaching speeds of up to 320 km/h in flight. This is a bird of prey that belongs to the hawk family. The body length of an eagle can reach 1 meter, and its weight ranges from 3 to 7 kg. Its wingspan varies between 2–2.4 m. In search of prey, hunters are able to soar high in the sky for a long time, while their activity remains minimal. Their movements in the air are light and maneuverable. Having noticed prey, the golden eagle quickly picks up speed and rushes towards the prey. The predator chooses birds, rodents, and hares as its victims. It may also prey on large, sick prey in the form of roe deer, deer, sheep and calves. The golden eagle's habitat is quite wide and includes most of the Holarctic, Alaska, Canada, Scotland, the Caucasus, etc. It can also be found throughout the forest zone of Russia.

1. Sapsan speed 350 km/h

- the fastest flyer on planet Earth. The bird of prey belongs to the falcon family and has the widest habitat - all continents, excluding Antarctica. Its wingspan during flight is 1.1 m. When diving prey, the predator reaches speeds of up to 350 km/h, a distance of about 1 km per minute. The body of an adult peregrine falcon can reach half a meter in length, and the bird can gain up to 1 kg in weight. He loves to hunt medium-sized birds - pigeons, blackbirds, starlings and ducks. Sometimes small mammals can become its victims. For habitat, the hunter chooses places that are inaccessible to humans - most often the rocky shores of reservoirs.

This is the fastest bird, and in general living creature, in the world. According to experts, in a rapid diving flight it is capable of reaching speeds of over 322 km/h, or 90 m/s.234. However, in horizontal flight it is inferior in speed to the swift. During the hunt, the peregrine falcon sits on a perch or glides in the sky; Having discovered the prey, it rises above the victim and quickly dives down almost at a right angle (makes a bet), hitting it tangentially with its paws folded and pressed to the body. The blow from the claws of the hind toes can be so strong that even a fairly large game's head can fly off. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/PeregrineFalconshy; .jpg/265px-PeregrineFalcon.jpg

The fastest bird is the Peregrine Falcon; the female has a speed of one hundred to two hundred kilometers per hour. The peregrine falcon is a bird from the falcon family. The peregrine falcon differs from other birds in that when it grabs prey, it grabs it with one leg.

The swift, the fastest bird on our planet, never lands on the ground. The black swift has a number of records from the world of birds. A bird can stay in the air non-stop for 2-4 years, during which time it eats, drinks and mates, during which time it can fly 500,000 km. The black and needle-tailed swifts have the highest horizontal flight speed, it reaches 120-180 km/h. In some parts of the flight, the needle-tailed swift can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h.

Peregrine falcon, a bird capable of reaching speeds of over 320 km/h when falling

So there are two versions. But not going down to earth for 4 years is really cool.

Here are a few birds that claim to be the fastest. So, the fastest bird is grey-headed albatross. Average speed the flight it can maintain for more than 8 hours is 130 kilometers per hour.

Peregrine Falcon can reach speeds at a 30-degree angle, reaching 270 kilometers per hour, and at a 45-degree peak - already 350 kilometers per hour.

But the fastest bird on earth is ostrich. An ostrich can run at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour.

The leader in flight speed is the Peregrine Falcon, a bird from the falcon family. The Sapsan Falcon is capable of reaching speeds of up to 440 kilometers per hour! As a rule, when hunting, the Peregrine falcon begins to pursue the victim at a distance of 1 - 1.5 km.



By speed in horizontal flight Black swift- an undoubted record holder, he flies up to 150 kilometers per hour, spends almost his entire life in the air, which is why his legs have almost atrophied, and it is difficult for him to walk on the ground. Black swifts even sleep high in the sky, flying there in circles, only waking up after five seconds each time to make one flap of their wings.

But in the speed of diving flight there is no equal for a bird falcon peregrine, his record is generally impressive - up to 380 kilometers! From a great height, rushing at the victim he sees, he hits it with his pressed paws, knocking it to the ground, and then picks it up there.

I know five of the fastest birds on the planet that fly more than a hundred kilometers per hour, these are the peregrine falcon (280 km/h), the swift (152 km/h), the frigate (152 km/h), and the migrating goose (141 km/h). h), long-nosed merganser (128 km/h).

The fastest creatures on earth are birds.

The fastest bird in the world is the Peregrine Falcon, the king of dive flight.

This bird of prey is from the falcon family.

It reaches speeds that are comparable to the speed of some aircraft up to 440 kilometers per hour.





The Peregrine falcon, which can reach speeds of 200-300 km/h, has been declared the fastest and fastest bird. In his honor, the city of Kumertau, which is located in the foothills Ural mountains and the Republic of Bashkortostan drew the Peregrine Falcon on its coat of arms.



In the animal world, it is believed that the record for speed always remains with the peregrine falcon, which flies up to 400 km. per hour, even Russian Railways named their trains Sapsan, positioning them as fast, although they cannot match their speed. with a bird.

The Peregrine falcon develops its enormous speed while falling from a height when hunting for other birds.

Ten birds that reach the highest speed in flight:

• Needle-tailed swift;
• Frigate family;
• Spur Goose;
• Medium merganser;
• Swift with white rump;
• Canvas Dive;
• Common eider;
• Teal Whistler;
• Mallard;
• Pintail.



Spine-tailed Swift

Palm fastest birds divided between two: Black Swift and Falcon - Peregrine Falcon. They are unsurpassed record holders for flight speed.

Black Swift - horizontal flight - up to 150 km/h. It is curious that they can spend more than 3 years in the sky without ever sitting down on the ground.

Falcon - peregrine falcon - in a horizontal flight up to 100 km/h, but when diving, the speed increases almost four times - up to 380 km/h.

The peregrine falcon is recognized as the fastest bird.

When studying the topic “Bird Class”, the children for the first time become acquainted with such an important concept as warm-blooded. It is very important that students understand that maintaining a constant body temperature is ensured by the interaction of a number of physiological systems in the body. A good knowledge of this material is necessary to explain complex evolutionary and ecological problems.

Teacher.

- Guys, why are there fewer birds in the forest in winter than in summer?
(Suggested answers: little or no food(for insectivorous birds), a lot of snow, cold.)
– Can feather cover protect birds from frost in winter? ( Maybe, but only partially.)
The main questions we need to answer in today's lesson are: What warms a bird's body? How do they maintain a constant temperature? Where do they get energy for flight?
– How is heat generated in general? ( Suggested answers: upon combustion organic matter which occurs in the presence of oxygen.)
– What makes the car move? How do organisms move? ( Due to the energy also generated during combustion(oxidation)organic substances with the participation of oxygen.)
How much energy do birds need? After all, they can fly long distances and reach high speeds. (Working with tables.)

Table 1. Distances covered during flights

Table 2. Wing surface area and load on them

For comparison, the glider model has a wing load of 2.5 kg/m2.

Table 3. Wing flapping frequency

Table 4. Maximum flight speed

How smaller bird, the more food per gram of body weight she needs. As the size of an animal decreases, its mass decreases faster than the body surface area through which heat loss occurs. Therefore, small animals lose more heat than large animals. Small birds eat an amount of food per day equal to 20–30% of their own weight, large birds – 2–5%. A tit can eat as many insects as it weighs in a day, and a tiny hummingbird can drink an amount of nectar that is 4-6 times its own weight.

Repeating the stages of food breakdown and the features of the respiratory system of birds, we fill out diagram No. 1 step by step.

Work progress when filling out the diagram

Intensive motor activity birds require a lot of energy. In this regard, their digestive system has a number of features aimed at efficient food processing. The beak serves as the organ for capturing and holding food. The esophagus is long, in most birds it has a pocket-like extension - a crop, where food is softened under the influence of crop fluid. The glandular stomach has glands in its wall that secrete gastric juice.
The muscular stomach is equipped with strong muscles and is lined on the inside with a strong cuticle. Mechanical grinding of food occurs in it. The digestive glands (liver, pancreas) actively secrete digestive enzymes into the intestinal cavity. The broken down nutrients are absorbed into the blood and distributed to all cells of the bird's body.
How long does it take for birds to digest food? Small owls (little owls) digest a mouse in 4 hours, a gray shrike in 3 hours. Juicy berries pass through the intestines of passerines in 8–10 minutes. Insectivorous birds fill their stomach 5–6 times a day, granivores – three times.
However, the absorption of food and its entry into the blood nutrients– this is not the release of energy. Nutrients need to be “burned” in tissue cells. What system is involved in this? ( Light, airy bags.)
– Muscles must be well supplied with oxygen. However, birds cannot provide the required amount of oxygen due to large quantity blood. Why? ( Increasing the amount of blood would increase the bird's mass and make flight more difficult.)
Intense supply of oxygen to tissue cells in birds occurs due to “double breathing”: oxygen-rich air passes through the lungs both when inhaling and exhaling, and in the same direction. This is ensured by a system of air sacs penetrating the bird’s body.
In order for the blood to move faster, increased blood pressure. Indeed, birds are hypertensive. In order to create high blood pressure, a bird's heart must contract with great strength And high frequency(Table 5).

Table 5. Heart mass and heart rate

As a result of the oxidation (combustion) of nutrients, energy is generated. What is it spent on? (We finish filling out diagram No. 1).

Conclusion. An active oxidative process helps maintain a constant body temperature.
High body temperature provides high level metabolism, rapid contraction of the heart muscle and skeletal muscles what is necessary for flight. High body temperature allows birds to shorten the development period of the embryo in the incubated egg. After all, incubation is an important and dangerous period in the life of birds.
But constant body temperature has its drawbacks. Which? We fill out diagram No. 2.

So, maintaining a constantly high body temperature is beneficial for the body. But for this you need to consume a lot of food, which you need to get somewhere. Birds had to develop various adaptations and behavioral traits that allowed them to obtain sufficient food. Here are some examples.
Next, students make reports on the topic “How different birds get their food” (their preparation could be homework for this lesson).

Pelican fishermen

Pelicans sometimes fish together. They find a shallow bay, cordon it off in a semicircle and begin to flap the water with their wings and beaks, gradually narrowing the arc and approaching the shore. And only after driving the fish to the shore do they begin fishing.

Owl hunting

Owls are known to hunt at night. The eyes of these birds are huge, with greatly dilated pupils. Through such a pupil, even in poor lighting conditions, enough light enters. However, it is impossible to see prey - various small rodents, mice and voles - from afar in the dark. Therefore, the owl flies low above the ground and looks not to the sides, but straight down. But if you fly low, the rustle of the wings will scare away the prey! Therefore, the owl has soft and loose plumage, which makes its flight completely silent. However, the main means of orientation for night owls is not vision, but hearing. With its help, the owl learns about the presence of rodents by squeaking and rustling and accurately determines the location of the prey.

Armed with a stone

In Africa, in the Serengeti nature reserve, biologists observed how vultures obtained food for themselves. This time the food was ostrich eggs. To get to the treat, the bird took a stone with its beak and threw it forcefully onto the egg. A strong shell that can withstand beak blows even big birds, like vultures, the stone cracked, and the egg could be enjoyed.
True, the vulture was immediately pushed away from the feast by the vultures, and he began to work on a new egg. This most interesting behavior then repeatedly noted in the experiment. They threw eggs to the vultures and waited to see what would happen. Having noticed the delicacy, the bird immediately picked it up suitable stone, sometimes weighing up to 300 g. The vulture dragged it in its beak for tens of meters and threw it on the egg until it cracked.
One day a vulture was given fake chicken eggs. He took one of them and began to throw it on the ground. Then he took the egg to a large rock and threw it against it! When this did not bring the desired result, the vulture began to desperately beat one egg against another.
Numerous observations have shown that birds tried to split any egg-shaped object with stones, even if it was huge or painted in unusual colors - green or red. But they didn’t pay any attention to the white cube. Scientists have also found that young vultures do not know how to break eggs and learn this from older birds.

Osprey fisherman

The osprey bird is an excellent fisherman. Seeing a fish, it quickly rushes into the water and plunges its long sharp claws into the body of the victim. And no matter how hard the fish tries to escape from the claws of the predator, it almost never succeeds. Some observers note that the bird holds the caught fish with its head in the direction of flight. Perhaps this is an accident, but it is more likely that the osprey tries to catch fish in such a way that it will be easier to carry later. Indeed, in this case, air resistance is less.

Conclusion based on student reports – the progressive development of the brain and leading sensory organs (vision, hearing) is associated with intense metabolism, high mobility and complex relationships with environmental conditions.
Now explain why birds have become widespread in all climatic zones. What are the reasons for bird migration? ( Warm-bloodedness allows birds not to be afraid of frost, to remain active even in very low temperatures environment. However, the lack of feed in winter time forces them to migrate to better feeding areas.)

Conquerors of the air

Speed, range, flight altitude of birds

Regarding the flight speed of birds, researchers have different opinions. She is very influenced atmospheric phenomena Therefore, when moving long distances, birds sometimes fly faster, sometimes slower, or take long breaks to rest.

Having released a bird in some place, it is very difficult to say when it will fly to its “destination”, because it may not fly for the entire duration of its absence.

Speed ​​calculated by simply dividing the distance by the bird's flight time is often an underestimate. At especially “critical” moments - when chasing prey or escaping from danger - birds can develop very high speeds, but, of course, they cannot withstand them for long.

Large falcons during betting - chasing a bird in the air - reach speeds of 280-360 km/h. Normal, “everyday” speeds of birds average size much less - 50-90 km/h.

Everything said above concerns flapping flight.

The speed of gliding flight is also difficult to measure. It is believed that the hobby glides at a speed of 150 km/h, the bearded vulture – 140, and the vulture – even 250 km/h.

The range of non-stop flights of birds has been discussed for a long time. Like speed, it is very difficult to measure. The falcon, released near Paris, was discovered a day later on the island of Malta, 1,400 km away. Whether he was delayed on the way or was flying all the time is unknown.

In general, birds stop along the way quite often, and their non-stop flights are short. This cannot be said about flying over water barriers, where birds have nowhere to sit. The record for non-stop flight distance belongs to waders - brown-winged plovers, which annually fly 3000 km over the ocean from Alaska to Hawaii and back.

Birds fly non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico (1300 km), the Mediterranean Sea (600-750 km), the North Sea (600 km), and the Black Sea (300 km). This means that the average non-stop flight distance of birds is about 1000 km.

As a rule, the flight altitude of birds does not reach 1000 m.

But separate large predators, geese, and ducks can rise to significantly greater heights.

Flight speed of birds and insects (km/h)

In September 1973, an African vulture collided with a civilian aircraft at an altitude of 12,150 m above the Ivory Coast. Grif disabled one of the engines, but the plane landed safely. This is apparently an absolute record for bird flight altitude. Previously, a bearded vulture was recorded in the Himalayas at an altitude of 7900 m, migrating geese were recorded there at an altitude of 9500 m, and a mallard collided with a plane over Nevada at an altitude of 6900 m.

Bird speed

The fastest bird

The fastest bird in the world, not counting the extinct pterodactyls, is the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). In short areas during hunting, it is capable of reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h. The vast majority of birds are not able to move faster than 90 km/h.

This does not mean that they are not capable of other records. For example, the black swift (Apus apus) can stay in the air for 2-4 years. During all this time, he sleeps, drinks, eats and even mates on the fly. A young swift that takes wing flies about 500,000 km before landing for the first time.

The black swift has a number of records from the world of birds.

The bird can stay in the air non-stop for 2-4 years, all this time it eats, drinks and mates, during which time it can fly 500,000 km. The black and needle-tailed swifts have the highest horizontal flight speed, reaching 120-180 km/h. The flight of the needle-tailed swift is so swift that, in addition to a quiet cry, the observer can also hear a peculiar humming - this is the sound of the bird cutting the air.

In some parts of its flight, the needle-tailed swift can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h.

The woodcock is considered the slowest flying bird. During mating games, this small brown bird, referred to in the Dahl dictionary as a “krechtun”, is capable of staying in the air at a speed of 8 km/h.

The African ostrich is not capable of flight at all, but it runs in such a way that many flyers would envy.

In case of danger, it can accelerate to 72 km/h.

A bird capable of not only making long flights, but doing it incredibly quickly, was discovered by Swedish ornithologists.

In their opinion, such endurance can only be compared with that of an airplane. Maintaining a speed close to 100 km/h for more than 6,500 kilometers is no joke.

In May, biologists from Lund University attached special geolocators weighing only 1.1 grams to the backs of 10 male snipes (Gallinago media).

A year later, they caught three of them and extracted the collected data. It turned out that the birds travel from Sweden to Central Africa and back.

One of the individuals flew 6,800 kilometers in three and a half days, the second 6,170 kilometers in three days, and finally, the last one flew 4,620 kilometers in two days.

At the same time, the wind did not help the birds. Biologists analyzed data from satellites and found that there were no favorable winds along the great snipe’s flight path.

It is surprising that great snipes do not stop on their way, because their flight mostly lies over land. Typically, land birds sit down to rest and replenish their energy reserves (there are plenty of earthworms, insects and other invertebrates on the surface).

A bird can fly if its body weight is no more than 20 kg.

Some birds scatter before flying, such as bustards and chickens.

For example, in India, when determining the flight speed of a swift, it turned out to be one hundred and seventy miles per hour, in Mesopotamia - one hundred miles per hour. The flight speed of the European falcon was measured with a stopwatch at the moment of its dive, and the result was from one hundred sixty-five to one hundred eighty miles per hour.
But most scientists question these figures. One expert believes that the record holder among birds is homing pigeon, and it cannot reach speeds over 94.2 mph.

Here are some generally accepted figures regarding the flight speed of birds. The falcon can fly at speeds of sixty-five to seventy-five miles per hour.

Bird flight speed

Slightly inferior to it in speed are ducks and geese, which can reach speeds of sixty-five to seventy miles per hour.

The flight speed of the European swift reaches sixty to sixty-five miles per hour, approximately the same as that of the golden plover and mourning dove. Hummingbirds, which are considered very fast birds, reach speeds of up to fifty-five to sixty miles per hour.

The starling's flight speed is forty-five to fifty miles per hour. Sparrows usually fly at a speed of twenty-five miles per hour, although they can fly faster: forty-five to fifty miles per hour.
Crows usually fly at speeds of twenty to thirty miles per hour, although they can reach forty to fifty miles per hour.

The flight speed of a heron is thirty-five to forty miles per hour, and that of a pheasant is thirty-five to forty miles per hour. And, oddly enough, a wild turkey can do thirty to thirty-five miles an hour. The speed of a pigeon jay is twenty to thirty-five miles per hour.

Flight speed

There are hardly any issues related to bird migration that are so widely misconceived as the issue of flight speed. Most people's opinions about the speed at which birds fly are based on casual, short-term observations, and therefore it is usually greatly exaggerated.

Others compare the speed of birds flying with the speed of a car, train or plane. However, they will not find such speeds even among the fastest flyers known to us. For example, swifts fly at a speed of 40-50 m/sec (regardless of the wind), which corresponds to approximately 150-160 km/h. (Compare: the maximum speed of an express train is 39 m/sec, or 140 km/h.) This, of course, does not mean that birds cannot fly faster at all.

Swifts chasing each other reach speeds of up to 200 km/h, and a falcon rushes at its prey at a speed of 70 m/sec, i.e. 250 km/h. But these extreme speeds for very short periods of time are exceptions: they at best characterize the flight ability of some species, but they cannot be used to estimate flight speed during migrations when long-term effort is required.

During long migrations, not only flight ability is important, but also wind.

Depending on its direction and strength, the birds' speed can significantly decrease or increase. Particularly high flight speeds can only be explained by taking into account wind support. So, in the above example, the speed of English lapwings when flying through Atlantic Ocean, equal to approximately 70 km/h, increased to 150 km/h thanks to a tailwind, the speed of which reached 90 km/h. Taking into account the retarding or accelerating influence of the wind, it is possible to accurately measure the birds' own speed over short distances and, in accordance with this, calculate the true speed of flight.

For the first time such calculations were made by Thieneman on the Kursk Spit. Subsequently they were made by Meinertzhagen, Harrison, etc.

The figures given in the table give a clear idea of ​​the maximum flight speeds of birds.

In general, it is obviously equal to 40-80 km/h, with the speed of small songbirds approaching the lowest figures. Birds migrating at night seem to fly faster than those migrating during the day. The low speed of migration of raptors and other large birds is striking. The same bird species usually fly much slower in the nesting area than during migration, if these speeds can be compared at all.

No matter how small the flight speed of birds is usually, or rather no matter how small it may seem to us, it is quite sufficient for some species to reach their wintering grounds in a few days and nights. Moreover, at such a speed, provided there is a fair wind (as, for example, when lapwings fly over the ocean), many migratory birds within a few days or nights they could fly to the tropics.

However, birds cannot maintain this flight speed for more than a few hours; they almost never fly for several days or nights in a row; as a rule, their flight is interrupted for short rest or for longer stops; the latter give the flight as a whole the character of a leisurely “walk”. This is how long migrations occur.

When considering the average speeds of day or night flights of individual species accurately established by ringing, one must always keep in mind that they do not characterize the ability to fly and the speed developed during migration, but indicate only the duration of flight and the distance between the places of ringing and finds of ringed birds in terms of one day.

Numerous finds of ringed birds prove that birds quickly fly most of the way, and use the rest of the time to rest in places rich in food. This type of flight occurs most frequently.

A uniform distribution of load and rest is much less common.

For birds flying long distances, the average daily distance is approximately 150-200 km, while those flying not so far do not cover 100 km in the same time.

A flight duration of 2-3 or 3-4 months is consistent with these data. many species that winter in tropical and southern Africa. For example, the stork, which usually leaves Germany at the end of August, reaches its wintering grounds in South Africa only at the end of November or December. The same terms apply to the shrike. Swallows migrate faster - from September to early November.

How great, however, individual differences are in this case can be seen in the example of 3 ringed coot redstarts, one of which covered 167 km daily, another 61 km and the third only 44 km, and these numbers decrease as the time period increases. for which they are calculated (6, 30 and 47 days). Based on these results, it can be concluded that daily speed is most consistent with true flight speed when it is calculated on the basis of overall performance over a short period of time.

This conclusion is best proven by the following examples of the flight speed of individual birds: a stork covered 610 km in 2 days, a black-headed warbler covered 2200 km in 10 days, a coot covered 1300 km in 7 days, another coot covered 525 km in 2 days, and a mallard covered 525 km in 5 days. days - 1600 km. These data can be contrasted with the daily speed of the song thrush - 40 km (calculated over 56 days of flight), the chaffinch - 17.4 km (calculated over 23 days of flight) and the sparrowhawk - 12.5 km (calculated over 30 days of flight).

Bird speed

These data are comparable to the above data for redstarts, whose average speeds are strongly influenced by long rest stops as the flight duration increases.

When assessing the daily distance and speed of flight, one should not lose sight of another important factor: any digital data can be calculated only for the ideal flight path, i.e. for a straight line connecting the places of banding and the discovery of the banded bird.

In reality, the flight path is always longer, deviations from a straight line are often quite significant, and the work performed and speed are much higher than calculated. These errors are almost impossible to eliminate and therefore must be taken into account, especially on very long flights.

In addition, you should pay attention to when this data was received.

The fact is that during spring migration the indicators in many cases are significantly higher than during autumn migration. In isolated cases, it could be proven with confidence that the spring migration is twice as fast as the autumn one, for example, in the stork, godwit and shrike.

Stresemann (1944) accurately established that in the spring the migration of the shrike lasts approximately 60 days, and in the fall - about 100 days. On average, these birds fly about 200 km per day. However, they only fly at night for 10 hours.

at a speed of 50 km/h. After such a flight, they always rest, so that they cover a distance of 1000 km in 5 days: migration - 2 nights, sleep - 3 nights, feeding - 5 days.

A few more words about maximum speeds and duration of flight, characterizing the capabilities of migratory birds: the turnstone, a small coastal bird ringed on Heligoland, was found after 25 hours.

in Northern France, 820 km to the south. Numerous small songbirds regularly fly in 12-15 hours. The Gulf of Mexico is 750-1000 km wide. According to Moreau (1938), some small falcons (Falco concolor and F. amurensis), as well as Asian bee-eaters (Merops persicus and M.

apiaster), wintering on the coast South Africa, also fly at least 3000 km over the sea. Hawaiian Islands serve as a wintering place for a number of northern shorebirds, which, migrating from the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, where their nesting grounds are located, are forced to fly 3,300 km over the open.

by sea. The golden plover, a particularly strong flyer, would take approximately 35 hours to cover this distance at a speed of about 90 km/h.

More high speeds noted in another species of plovers flying from Nova Scotia to the northern tip of South America 3600 km above the sea. It seems almost incredible that one of the Japanese-breeding snipes will fly to winter in eastern Australia and must cover almost 5,000 km to reach their wintering grounds.

On the way, he probably does not rest at all, since he was never celebrated in other places.

Flying over bodies of water can be equated to flying over big deserts. Such a flight also undoubtedly takes place without interruption, for example, the flight over Western Sahara of small songbirds, wagtails and pipits, which requires 30-40 hours. continuous operation, if their speed of passage is considered to be approximately 50 km/h.

The world's most famous bird lives in Transcarpathia

Science seems to suggest that for the speed of my life there are no equals, not only among birds, but among all other animals.

“The built Sapsan develops speed up to 300 km/year,” says ornithologist Viktor Palinchak.

“He is respected not only among the birds, but also among the representatives of the created world.” The wingspan of this wing is about one and a half meters, although the body length does not exceed 50 cm. As with most birds, female peregrine falcons are significantly larger than males: weigh about 900 - 1500 g, as well as males and smaller sizes and weight 450-800 g "

The peregrine falcon is protected by the state and is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Speed ​​of migratory birds

In Transcarpathia, according to the ornithologist, you can see it high in the mountains. Here the birds nest and sing. “For nesting, peregrine falcons find places that are inaccessible to people and have open spaces for everyone to see,” says Mr. Victor.

- Most often they live in the valleys of the Girsky rivers, here they have the best places to live. In addition, the peregrine falcon is unique in both farmsteads with rich forests and treeless expanses. It is not uncommon for the peregrine falcon to occupy the already inhabited nests of other birds, crows, and crows. The old houses will be abi-yak: with several needles and feathers. If the nest is well established, then ten generations can live there (which rarely lasts long).

The next skin pair has 2-3 sockets “at the moisture level”, which serve as spare ones when the main one breaks down.

“Swan’s faithfulness” is also popular with peregrine falcons. Birds live all their lives with one pair. “The love games of these huts are enough to finish the tsikava,” it seems scientific. “When the birds start to shine, they perform acrobatic stunts near the floor and play with each other.”

Peregrines are small birds, so they often suffer from pigeons, jocks, hummers, thrushes, swallows, and also forest animals: hares, squirrels.

It is important to cry at night. “At the hour of bathing, the birds take up positions at the top (on trees, rocks or fly in the sky). Having noticed the treasure, the peregrine falcon flies like an arrow to it, hunting them down with the help of strong wings or sharp pains. As a rule, one blow is enough and the victim does not survive.”

In addition, since the peregrine falcons are the most common, the stench is still visible at its brightest.

Birds easily focus on the victim, as they say, because they are in the great vicinity. “This may be due to the fact that the crystalline oozes with a special ring from the cystic plate, which is compressed by forceful muscles, changing the curvature of the crystalline.

“Besides, the eye of the peregrine falcon has two “hot flames,” and other birds’ flames can enlarge objects that are located in the great distance (like binoculars).”

According to scientists, the peregrine falcon population has now begun to revive.

A decline was expected in the last century when the application of pesticides to crops became fashionable. “The peregrine sani carefully carried the qiu otrutu. Because of this stench, they died en masse, and the females could not hatch eggs with chicks. And now the number of birds has increased dramatically, and their nests can be built in great places.”

Olga Biley, Green Transcarpathia

07.08.2013 14:38:49

The peregrine falcon is a strong and fast bird that has no equal among predators. The peregrine falcon has long been used in falconry.

The falcon's distribution range is significant: it lives throughout Europe, both on rocky coasts and in inhospitable mountainous areas. Bird report with video and photo

Squad— Birds of Prey

Family— Sokolinye

Genus/Species— Falco peregrinus

Basic data:

DIMENSIONS

Length: 40-50 cm.

Wingspan: 92-110 cm.

Weight: male 600-750 g, female 900-1300 g.

REPRODUCTION

Puberty: from 3 years.

Nesting period: March-May, depends on the region.

Masonry: once a year.

Clutch size: 2-4 eggs.

Hatching: 30-35 days.

Feeding chicks: 35-42 days.

LIFESTYLE

Habits: Peregrine falcons live in pairs.

Food: Mostly other birds.

Life expectancy: up to 20 years.

RELATED SPECIES

Subspecies differ in size.

The largest subspecies of the peregrine falcon live in the Arctic, the smallest - in deserts.

Peregrine falcon hunting. Video (00:02:03)

Falconry

The peregrine falcon (see photo) is one of the most dexterous hunters among birds. For this reason, he has long been pursued by falconers who devastated the nests of the peregrine falcon.

As a result, its population declined sharply.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

The peregrine falcon's favorite hunting place is open areas, such as peat bogs, steppes and semi-deserts.

In Central Europe, the peregrine falcon inhabits mainly mountainous areas. It makes nests on steep rock walls in river valleys or in old quarries. In winter, the peregrine falcon settles near large bodies of water, where it hunts the birds that live there—gulls. The specific name of the peregrine falcon is translated from Latin as “wanderer” or “pilgrim.” The peregrine falcon can also be seen during its journey to and from its wintering grounds, near lakes and estuaries.

In Central Europe, only young peregrine falcons are migratory, while older ones are sedentary. Birds from northern regions migrate over long distances.

Peregrine falcon and man

Feathered predators such as the peregrine falcon are at the top of the food chain.

It was proven that along the food chain (insects - small birds - raptors), the toxic components of DDT and other pesticides accumulated in the peregrine falcon’s body, affecting its reproductive system (the proportion of fertilized eggs fell) and calcium metabolism (the eggshells became thinner and cracked).

This caused a decline in the peregrine falcon population. Measures taken in the 60-70s of the last century to preserve birds of prey and the ban on the use of DDT had a positive effect on its population.

The peregrine falcon has long been domesticated for use as a hunting bird in falconry. Not all birds of the falcon family can be taught to hunt certain types of animals.

For example, the kestrel got its name back when falcons were assessed only by whether they were suitable for hunting.

REPRODUCTION

Peregrine falcons mate for life.

As a rule, they nest on hard-to-reach rock ledges or rock ledges. The nest is quite spacious, it can accommodate parents and chicks, and it is reliably protected from predators.

Flight speed of some animals, km/h

These falcons do not build nests; on the ground they lay eggs in shallow holes scratched with their claws, and in the trees they occupy the nests of other birds. Females begin laying eggs at the end of March. Most often they lay 2-4 red-brown eggs with red dots.

Hatching begins only when all the eggs have been laid. Both parents take care of the chicks.

FOOD AND HUNTING

The peregrine falcon feeds mainly on birds.

In winter, these birds inhabit areas around river mouths and hunt mainly gulls and ducks. The peregrine falcon catches most of its victims in the air. Noticing the prey, it makes a sharp acceleration and, in a diving flight, rushes at the prey, grabbing it by the neck, crushing the cervical vertebrae. With small prey he flies to the nest, and kills large birds in the air and lowers them to the ground. The peregrine falcon eats about 100 g of food per day.

During the period of raising and feeding the chicks, its needs increase. The falcon's hunting territory ranges from 40 to 200 km2.

Peregrine falcons very rarely hunt mammals, however, even rabbits sometimes become their victims.

Peregrine Falcon Observations

The best time to observe the peregrine falcon is during nesting season.

At this time, the birds do not fly far from the nest. Falcons circle high in the sky, sometimes quickly flapping their wings, sometimes soaring in smooth flight. In size, peregrine falcons are somewhat larger than domestic pigeons. This bird is easily distinguished in flight by its strong body, long pointed wings and relatively short tail.

At other times, peregrine falcons can be observed near river mouths or other large bodies of water, where they hunt ducks and other birds. A definite sign of the presence of a peregrine falcon is alarming voices and rapid, unexpected takeoffs of birds frightened by this falcon.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Sung in Ukrainian and Russian songs, the real falcon, which is often also called the “peregrine falcon,” lives in many regions of the globe.

It can be found from the polar cliffs of Scandinavia and Taimyr in the north to the fjords of Tierra del Fuego in the south. Falcons make nests on the ledges of cliffs or in abandoned nests of ravens and eagles. They feed mainly on birds (waders, crows, gulls, mallards and ducks, less often - geese), which they catch on the fly. In pursuit of prey, a peregrine falcon can reach enormous speeds during a dive! The maximum recorded speed of a peregrine falcon at its peak is 389 km/h!

Not every plane flies at such speed! This record was recorded in 2005.

Human persecution and excessive use of pesticides in agriculture led to the fact that this beautiful bird became rare everywhere or completely disappeared.

Only the peregrine falcons of the Arctic were lucky. In the North, the falcon is called the goose shepherd, and for good reason: wild geese willingly settle next to its nests. After all, on earth it doesn’t hurt anyone. But in the sky no one can withstand the insane attacks of falcons!

• During World War II, peregrine falcons were killed because they preyed on carrier pigeons, which carried war messages.
• The male peregrine falcon is almost a third smaller than the female; in addition, he is distinguished by dark plumage on the top of his head, on the sides of which dark “whiskers” are clearly visible.
• This falcon big eyes and sharp vision. A peregrine falcon can recognize its prey even from a height of 300 meters.
• Peregrine falcons have long been used for hunting. Nowadays, falcon hunting is only a sport.
• The peregrine falcon is in danger of extinction. The population size of these birds is steadily decreasing.

MATING FLIGHT OF THE PEREGIAN FALCON

In the first part of the mating flight, the peregrine falcon transfers prey to the female.

At this time, the female flies downwards with her ridge and takes prey from the claws of the male.

— Where does the peregrine falcon live permanently?
— Wintering places
— Nesting sites

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

The distribution area is significant: from the Arctic to South Asia and Australia, from western Greenland to almost all of North America.

PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

Pairs nesting in hazardous areas are protected. There are approximately 5,000 bred pairs living in Europe today.

Peregrine falcon. Video (00:02:23)

The peregrine falcon hunts with the speed of lightning: having spotted its prey while slowly soaring, it builds itself directly above it and quickly, at an almost vertical angle, falls on top of it.

From strong blow the unfortunate victim's head often falls off. If she managed to stay on her shoulders, the bird of prey breaks the poor fellow’s neck with its beak or uses its sharp claws.

Falconry with a peregrine falcon. Video (00:03:22)

Falconry, birds of prey - in this video you can see how a hunter catches game with the help of a falcon, or rather, the falcon catches for its owner.

Peregrine falcon.

The fastest bird in the world. Video (00:03:53)

The fastest animal on Earth is the Peregrine falcon. In a dive, it reaches an incredible speed of 90 m/s (over 320 km/h). In 2005, a record was registered - a peregrine falcon diving at a speed of 389 km/h.

It falls on its victim from the sky and knocks it down with a blow of its clawed paws. The blow is so strong that the victim's head is often torn off.
The peregrine falcon is a large falcon and in its group it is second in size only to gyrfalcons. The dimensions of one wing are from 30 to 40 cm, the wingspan reaches 120 cm.

The total length of the bird is from 40 to 50 cm, its weight is up to 1200 g.
It is worth noting that the peregrine falcon also has the sharpest eyesight in the world.

Peregrine falcon attacks Labrador. Video (00:01:41)

A peregrine falcon attacks a Labrador when it wanted to approach its prey.

Falcon Peregrine, Speed ​​183 mph. Video (00:03:01)