Today, the fastest creature on our planet is the cheetah. It is capable of reaching speeds of up to 110 km/h. But the cheetah is the most fast beast on the ground. But if we talk about air, then it’s a completely different story. In this environment, the kings of speed are birds.

None of the birds that currently exist on our planet can compare with birds in speed.

Of course, there is a possibility that our world has not been fully explored, so it is quite possible that there is some kind of animal faster than a bird. But until this is proven, there is no point in saying anything.

So, let's try to figure out which bird is the fastest in the world? And we are already facing some problem. It lies in the fact that some birds are capable of developing high speed in horizontal flight, and some - in diving. Therefore, it will be fair if we determine the winners in these two categories.

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Dive flight

The undisputed leader of a diving flight is a representative of the falcon family - peregrine falcon. As you might guess, diving flight is used to obtain food. The main food for the peregrine falcon is birds. First, he rises above his victim, and then, like a stone, throws himself at her. This is called diving flight.

Studies have been conducted among ornithologists that have provided clearer data on peregrine falcon flight speed. For example, if the angle of incidence was 25°, then the speed reached 75 m/sec. And if the angle of incidence is 100° (vertical), then this speed reached 100 m/sec (that is, 350 km/h). According to unofficial data, the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of up to 440 km/h - and this, excuse me, is the speed of an airplane. It is also worth noting that the peregrine falcon begins its hunt from at least a distance of one kilometer.

Let's talk about second place. It is occupied by a representative of the hawk family - golden eagle. According to scientists, the maximum speed of its diving flight can be 320 km/h.

Level flight

So, if we talk about horizontal flight, then the fastest bird here is needle-tailed swift. The maximum speed it can develop in horizontal flight is 169 km/h. The surprising thing is that such speed does not prevent peregrine falcons from hunting needle-tailed swifts.

Second place in this category goes to hobby. This bird belongs to the falcon family. Its maximum speed is 160 km/h. Agree, this is not much less than the speed of a needle-tailed swift.

Receives a bronze medal in this “competition” frigate. This bird in horizontal flight is capable of reaching a speed of 153 km/h.

As you can see, representatives of the “feathered” family are the fastest creatures on our planet. This is if we talk about air.

Since childhood we have been interested in one simple riddle: Who is really the fastest of birds? These amazing creatures have such a reserve of strength that many can envy them. The result of research on a similar topic may surprise many.

The fastest bird in the world

The first place in such a list of the fastest birds is taken by the peregrine falcon. It is this inconspicuous bird that can move at a speed of approximately 389 kilometers per hour, which (for comparison) significantly exceeds the speed of free fall of parachutists.

It is this fastest bird in the world that can give a head start to many animals, while the peregrine falcon can be found on absolutely all continents, except perhaps Antarctica. Its main feature is that it can develop such enormous speed only by diving from a height.

Peregrine falcon dimensions

In appearance, this fastest bird in the world is no more than a crow, moreover, it has gray plumage, which becomes light gray on the abdomen, and the head is always black.

The peregrine falcon survives thanks to a unique hunting technique, which consists of diving from a height onto its prey and knocking it down with a blow from its tucked paws. The speed with which the peregrine falcon does this could easily result in it knocking off the poor prey's head.

Second fastest

In fact, the bird that will be discussed further can easily take first place in this unique speed ranking.

The main reason for this is that the peregrine falcon develops enormous speed when it “falls” from the sky, but the swift’s flight speed is enormous in the horizontal plane.

It can reach speeds of more than 170 kilometers per hour. You can meet such a miracle only in Northern or Central Asia, as well as in Central Europe. The bird spends its wintering in Africa or India. Now already natural habitat its habitats are cities, and much less often it concerns forests.

Appearance of a swift

The swift is even smaller in size than the peregrine falcon, weighing only 50-150 grams.

The black swift is the fastest. It has dark brown plumage with a barely noticeable metallic tint. It can easily be confused with a swallow, because these bird species are quite similar, especially when viewed from above.

Features of the bird

The peculiarity of the swift is that literally a few centuries ago it could be eaten, arguing that the meat was quite tasty.

If we do not take into account this gastronomic feature, there is another curious fact: the swift spends almost all of its time in the air. In the most literal sense of the word. Flying out of the nest eight weeks after birth, it lands only after approximately 3 years. Given that its legs are very short and its toes point only forward, it is quite difficult to take off from the ground on its own, but it is possible. All you need is a few very strong flaps of your wings and at least a slight elevation to make it easier to take off. The wings themselves are disproportionately large, if you still compare them with the size of the body itself.

Long, curved wings and a perfectly streamlined body, a flat head, as well as a short neck - all these aerodynamic features allow the swift to even sleep in the air. Being at an altitude of up to 3 thousand meters in a flock, it simply flies in a circle and falls asleep, while waking up every 5 seconds in order to once again flap your wings and don't fall.

This fastest bird on earth can fly approximately 500 thousand kilometers in its entire life, landing only a few times in its life just to breed.

Swallow and swift: differences

It was previously said that a swift can be very similar to a swallow in its appearance. But still, their most important difference is their flight speed - a swift reaches a speed of about 170 kilometers per hour, and a swallow only 60 kilometers per hour. But nevertheless, a swift cannot be better in flight maneuverability than a swallow. A bird of this species also differs from the swift in the structure of its legs - the swift has four toes turned forward, while swallows have three toes turned forward and one toe turned back. That is why they can sit on telegraph wires and easily stay there, but this is definitely not possible for a swift.

Swifts have a dark belly, while swallows have a white belly. Moreover, in flight, the first type of bird is distinguished by its excessive noisiness and never folds its wings. In addition, the swift is larger in size than the swallow.

Bird flight speed

The third fastest in this ranking is the grey-headed albatross. It is larger in size than its predecessors, having a wingspan of 3.5 meters. Due to the fact that the albatross cannot make such a rapid dive or live constantly in the air, it is distinguished by its endurance.

It is he who can fly at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour for eight hours. Although he is not the fastest bird in the world, he is in the Guinness Book of Records due to his amazing features.

The eider is a bird from the duck family that can reach speeds of approximately one hundred kilometers per hour. At the same time, it can withstand long flights, although it does not rise high into the sky, because its main food is in the water - mollusks, worms, small fish. That is why the eider is not only a fast bird, but also an excellent diver.

Next in the ranking of the fastest birds in the world is the homing pigeon. This type has proven itself well in different conditions- and in peacetime, and during hostilities. That is why the pigeon must be given due respect.

Its flight speed ranges from 90 to 100 kilometers per hour. Pigeons are much more resilient than albatrosses - some individuals can stay in the air for more than 16 hours.

The starling is an inconspicuous bird with a pleasant singing voice; it has also proven itself to be an excellent flyer. Starlings can reach speeds of approximately 70 kilometers per hour, and they are found on every continent on our planet.

The fieldfare thrush can also reach a speed of 70 kilometers per hour. It is distributed throughout Europe and Asia, and its voice and unusual plumage always attract quite a lot of attention.

The most fast birds on the planet

Birds are the fastest living creatures on Earth, significantly faster than “aquatic” and “land” representatives of the fauna. It is possible to answer the question of which of the birds is the fastest, only on the condition that the birds are assessed based on the characteristics of their flight, because some reach their maximum speed in a diving flight, while most birds fly in a normal horizontal manner. Let's first get acquainted with the fastest representatives of just such a horizontal flight as the most natural.

Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) - 63 km/h

Common kestrel- a small bird with average speed flight speed is about 63 km/h. The kestrel flies by alternating slow or fast flight with gliding. Sometimes birds can soar and even hover in the air, then the tail seems to hang, and the wings make quick small flaps (“vibrate”). The common kestrel can also move by inertia with its wings folded, or fly when they are not fully opened.

Swallow - 65 km/h

Swallows They look similar to swifts, but are not as fast. The speed of swallows is usually about 40 km/h, but they can reach speeds of up to 65 km/h. The streamlined shape of the body, pointed narrow wings, and a forked tail - all this helps birds in catching insects on the fly, provides swallows with endurance and good maneuverability.

Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) – 70 km/h

Field Thrush(Turdus pilaris) is one of the large and interesting blackbirds. These flocking birds are very widespread throughout Eurasia. Fieldfare thrushes have an unusual voice and interesting plumage. They have a gray head and the upper part of the tail, the rest of it is black, a white chest with spots, the wings and the part of the back between them are brown (“caftan”). The speed of these birds is about 70 km/h, while they are slightly larger than starlings in size (25 cm) and wingspan (39-42 cm).

Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) - 70 km/h

Heralds of Spring starlings(Sturnus vulgaris) can boast not only in a pleasant voice and enviable “family”, but also the speed of his flight. They are capable of flying at speeds of up to 70 km/h. Starlings live on almost all continents of the planet. It is interesting that starlings do not build nests as such, they simply line a suitable place with down and grass. Males help females in raising their offspring: they feed the chicks and teach them to fly. When “family” duties are completed, starlings gather in flocks and circle around in search of food.

Homing pigeon - 100 km/h

Everyone knows homing pigeons also excellent flyers. Pigeons have an incredible memory; they can travel vast distances to complete their owner's tasks or return home. Their flight speed is not even low - 90-100 km/h. They are able to spend up to 16 hours in the sky. Interestingly, more monuments have been erected to carrier pigeons than to other birds. Moreover, the monument carrier pigeon found in almost every European city. Most of them are associated with the services of carrier pigeons during the Second World War.

Common eider (Somateria), male and female - 100 km/h

Birds of the genus eiders(Somateria) from the duck family, although they spend most of their lives on the water, they have surpassed many other birds in terms of flight speed. The speed that an eider can reach is about 100 km/h. Birds make their migrations enough in large groups in a “wedge” or “row” formation. There is no need for eiders to fly high into the sky, because their food is in the water (molluscs, crustaceans, worms, etc.), so they fly low. These birds excellent divers, they can dive to a depth of 20 meters. Eiders rarely come to land.

Grey-headed albatross (Thalasarche chrysostoma) - 130 km/h

Grey-headed albatross(Thalasarche chrysostoma), the bird with the largest wingspan (3.5 m), of course, does not make such rapid dives as the peregrine falcon, and does not circle in its sleep, but it is capable of maintaining an average flight speed of 130 for more than eight hours in a row km/h This fact was established thanks to tracking sensors attached to the paw of one of the birds of this species. These data are even recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.

Black swift (Apus apus) - 150 km/h

And finally, the champion in horizontal flight speed - black swift. This is a small bird with a wingspan of 40-46 cm. The structure of their body allows black swifts to reach speeds of up to 150 km/h. Interestingly, these birds practically live in the sky, spending there 24 hours a day for more than 3 years. Birds even sleep in flight: rising to a height of 2-3 thousand meters, they circle in a circle, waking up every 5 seconds in order to flap their wings.

And now it’s time to meet the absolute speed record holder. This peregrine falcon. And, although it is inferior to the black swift in terms of horizontal flight speed, at its peak it develops simply crazy speed.

A peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) at its peak manages to reach a speed of more than 360 km/h

A representative of the falcon family, the peregrine falcon hunts a flying bird, rising above it and, folding its wings, then throws itself from above. He strikes with his paws folded and pressed to his body. By accurate calculations, falling on prey at an angle of 25°, the falcon flies at a speed of 75 meters per second; when falling at an angle close to straight line, the speed increases to 100 meters per second or 360 km/h. There is evidence that the peregrine falcon is capable of reaching speeds of up to 440 km/h, which is comparable to the speed of some aircraft. Peregrine falcons begin pursuing prey from a distance of one to one and a half kilometers.

Birds are warm-blooded, oviparous vertebrates. Their entire body is covered with feathers, and the vast majority of their forelimbs are transformed into wings. There are about 11 thousand species of birds in the world, they inhabit all ecosystems globe, including Antarctica. Different types are very different from each other appearance, size and habits. For example, the smallest bird in the world is the hummingbird, it weighs only one and a half grams and is the only bird that can fly backwards, the largest bird in the world is ─ African ostrich, he is as tall as a person and weighs up to 160 kg, the most vigilant bird on the planet is the falcon, which is able to see a mouse from a height of 3.5 km. Which bird is the fastest? This article will tell you about this.

Peregrine Falcon

This is not a very large bird; in size it is comparable to an ordinary crow; it is an active predator and belongs to the falcon family. The peregrine falcon can be found all over the world except Antarctica. This falcon has a contrasting plumage color: its head and upper body are slate-black, the lower back and wings are gray, and the belly is whitish.

The peregrine falcon mainly hunts small birds ─ pigeons, starlings, ducks, and less often they become its prey small mammals. It is precisely during the hunt that the falcon develops a record speed in the animal world ─ 325 km/h or 90 m/s! No animal is capable of moving at such speed, so the peregrine falcon is not only the fastest bird in the world, but also the fastest living creature on the ground. He hunts in a very unique way: he plans in the sky, looking for prey; Having identified a victim, it quickly dives down at an angle of 90°, accelerating in vertical flight to maximum speed; Having reached the prey, the peregrine falcon hits it tangentially with its paws, and the prey immediately dies from the blow. The blow with strong falcon talons at such super speed is so strong that even large game’s heads often fly off. Peregrine falcons are very faithful birds. They mate for life. They most often nest on the tops of steep slopes, hatching 3-5 chicks in one season.

Another fastest bird on the planet is the golden eagle from the hawk family. This is a large and strong bird, its body length reaches 95 cm, wingspan ─ ​​200-240 cm. They have a hook-shaped beak, long and wide wings, keen eyes, powerful paws with very strong claws. The golden eagle's color is dark brown with golden markings on the back of the head and neck. Characteristic feature The distinctive feature of the golden eagle is the presence of a superciliary fold, which gives the bird a menacing “frowning” appearance.

This is the most ruthless and swift predator in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth. Its victims are not only hares, partridges, field mice and gophers, but also sheep, calves, roe deer and even young deer. Looking for prey, the golden eagle hovers in the sky for a long time, and having noticed the prey, it quickly “falls” onto the victim at a speed of 300-320 km/h! It's even faster than a Ferrari!

A small bird, whose body length rarely reaches 35 cm, and whose weight does not exceed 250 grams, belongs to the falcon family. Its habitat is very wide - almost the entire continent of Eurasia and part of North Africa. Prefers sparse light forests with an open panorama.

The head and back of the hobby are dark gray, the chest and belly are white with numerous gray streaks, the cheeks and throat are pure white, black stripes go down from the beak that resemble mustaches, the paws are “dressed in pants” of a red color. The wings and tail are white below, with wide black stripes above.

The Hobby also claims to be the “fastest bird in the world,” as it can reach speeds of up to 250 km/h while hunting for large flying insects and small birds.

The fourth place in the ranking of the fastest birds in the world is occupied by swifts. In total, there are about 80 species of these birds, but they are very similar to each other in appearance and way of life. The swift is a small bird weighing 70-140 grams, distributed everywhere, its feathers are colored black, dark gray or dark brown with a metallic tint. It has a sharp beak, weak legs, a straight or forked tail and long curved wings. In appearance, the swift is very similar to a swallow. In one hour he is able to cover 160-170 km. In horizontal flight, no other bird, not even the peregrine falcon, will outrun a swift.

Interestingly, this fast-flying bird spends most of its life in flight. Swifts feed, swim, mate and even sleep in the air! The swift sleeps in a particularly unusual way: it hovers sluggishly in the sky, waking up every 5 seconds to flap its wings. Sometimes the wind carries a swift in its sleep far from its nesting site, but at dawn, having finally woken up, it quickly finds its way home.

These birds settle almost everywhere: in the mountains, in the forest, in the steppe, in the desert, and in the city. They nest and hatch chicks in Europe and Central and North Asia, but go to India and Africa for the winter.

The gray-headed albatross is in fifth place among the fastest birds. It's big sea ​​bird, which is settled on isolated islands near Antarctica. She spends most of her time in open ocean far from coastline. They feed on squid, fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, lampreys and krill. The albatross can dive to a depth of seven meters for prey. It is also capable of flying over very long distances, while developing a speed of 150 km/h, which gives them the right to be called one of the fastest birds on earth.

These birds have very interesting feature: They can accumulate fat in the upper stomach. The bird feeds it to its chicks, satisfies its own hunger during long flights, and spits it at its enemies.

Let's continue to find out which bird is the fastest.

Fifth place, along with the grey-headed albatross, is also occupied by the frigate - another fast-flying bird. It lives in the tropics and subtropics, and is a close relative of pelicans and cormorants.

This feathered creature looks very interesting: like a very important, but clumsy duck with a bright red chest strongly protruded forward, a head arrogantly thrown back, covered with black feathers. She has a long, downward-curved beak, narrow wings pressed to the body, a long forked tail, and short, clumsy legs. Although the frigate walks poorly and cannot swim, it flies simply excellent, easily covering 150 km per hour and being almost the fastest flyer in the world.

Distinctive feature This feathered creature is characterized by its cockiness: it can take over someone else's nest, driving away the owners, take prey from other birds, and even kidnap a chick from its neighbors' nest.

A large bird that simultaneously resembles both a goose and a duck. Lives in Africa, settles only near bodies of water. Its body reaches 1 meter in length and weighs more than 6 kg. The bird's legs are high and strong, its pointed wings are large, so the spur goose runs well, swims deftly and flies well. In flight, few can compare with it, since it is capable of reaching speeds of up to 140 km/h, so many scientists say that it is the fastest bird on earth.

The feathered creature feeds on aquatic and coastal plants, insects, and small fish.

Spur geese are not family birds. They create a pair only for 1 season, while the male’s task is reduced only to fertilizing the female, all other tasks ─ building a nest, incubating eggs, caring for the chicks ─ fall on the goose.

This bird is the fastest duck in the world; no other duck can catch it, because the average merganser flies at a speed of 130 km/h. Like other representatives of this family, the merganser swims well and dives well; it can stay under water for up to a minute. Interestingly, the chicks begin to swim in the very first hours of life; Immediately after they are dry, the mother takes them to the water.

It is widespread in North America and northern and central Eurasia. It settles only near flowing rivers and lakes, feeding on insects, worms, small fish, tadpoles and frogs.

The eighth place in the ranking (the grey-headed albatross and the frigate shared the fifth place) of the fastest birds on earth is again occupied by the duck - pochard. This duck can be found almost throughout Europe, in Central and Central Asia. Compared to other types of ducks, it is quite large, weighs 1.5 kg or more, and has a body length of more than half a meter. Its color is bright and elegant: red head, bright red beak, black glasses around the eyes, light brown cheeks and neck, black breast, white belly, gray wings with a light stripe. The duck settles near small bodies of water with fresh water, eats green plant foods. This elegant duck is very active. She runs well, swims, dives and flies excellently, reaching speeds of up to 115 km/h in the air.

The duck family again! But this is a sea duck that settles on cold coasts North America, Europe and Eastern Siberia. This is a very large sea duck that weighs 3 kg, its body grows up to 70-80 cm in length. On the shore it is very clumsy and heavy, so it spends almost 2/3 of its life in the water near the shore, coming to land only to breed. It flies little, low over the water, but very quickly: it covers up to 80-90 km in an hour. Eider has set a record: she dives the deepest of all birds on the planet, reaching a depth of 50 meters underwater. It feeds on mollusks and crustaceans.

Eider is known for its incredibly light and very warm down. It is collected from nests and used to insulate the clothes of polar explorers, climbers and astronauts. Eider down has special structure and more valuable than any other.

The last, 10th place in the ranking “The fastest bird in the world” is the fieldfare. This small bird with discreet plumage is found throughout Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, North Africa. Prefers to live in colonies of 40-50 pairs. They love parks, forest edges, meadows. Eats plant foods and small insects. He loves to feast on rowan berries, hence his name.

The Field Thrush is an agile bird: it runs well, jumps and flies quickly, reaching speeds of up to 70 km/h.

Interestingly, this species defends itself by firing at the enemy with its droppings, which glue the feathers of other birds with a special enzyme, causing them serious harm. Therefore, other birds try not to approach the fieldfare colony. If a person wanders into the thrush’s domain, he will also be shot at.

That's it! Now you know what the fastest birds inhabit our planet.

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. Chooses forest and forest-steppe zone, its diet includes small birds and large insects such as butterflies, beetles, and dragonflies. May also eat mice or small animals.

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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.

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 steal 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.

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Third place – Needle-tailed swift

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