Top 10 Fastest Bird In The World

Everyone knows that the fastest mode of transportation will be by airplane. If you were to look at wildlife, birds are the fastest animals in the world. Most animals use this speed to their advantage as a weapon to hunt prey or even escape from predators.

Scientists have found around 10,000 species of birds around the world. Some of these birds however can move at a faster pace than others. Here we would like to share with you the top 10 fastest birds in the world.

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10. Gyrfalcon (128.7 km/hr)

The Gyrfalcon is the biggest among the falcon species. Its other name will be the Gyr. species and it can be found in the northern American islands, Europe and Asia.

The unique patterns found on this bird represent the black and white marbles. On top of its huge body size, the Gyrfalcon is also an excellent hunter. Some of its prey include the Ptarmigan and water Unggas.

Despite hunting in a hungry state, the bird can fly up to a speed of 128km/hr(79 miles/hr).

9. Grey-Headed Albatross (129 km/hr)

The species of grey-headed albatross is the 10th fastest bird in the world. The bird is also known as the grey-headed Mollymawk and it is a sea bird found mostly in the Southern Ocean.

As its name, this bird had a grey-colored head. The bird has a wingspan of 2.2 meters long and can attack at a speed of 129km/hr(80 miles/hr). This bird spent all its life in the ocean, therefore, it produces a sweat fluid to remove the excess salt from its body.

8. Red-Breasted Merganser (130.3 km/hr)

Compared to other birds on this list, this will be the only fastest duck out there and you can distinctly tell the difference by its thick chest. This duck can be found in Europe, Asia, North America, and also Greenland.

Do you also know that the red-breasted Merganser that you see on tv was being recorded on a plane moving at the speed of 161 km/hr(99 miles/hr)? This is one of the unique species of ducks and it has an average movement speed of 130km/hr(81 miles/hr).

They use this speed to quickly dive into the water to catch fish, small insects, and frogs.

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7. Spur-Winged Goose (141.6 km/hr)

This goose species is a unique combination of wild duck and goose and can be found in the moist area of sub-Saharan Africa. Originally, this bird was harmful to be consumed due to the poisonous substance found in its diet.

Some of its diets include blister beetles that contain the poison, cantharidin. If the goose comprises more than 10mg of cantharidin in its body, it will definitely have a dangerous effect on the human that eats it.

In terms of speed, this wild goose can move at an average speed of 141 km/hr (86 miles/hr) due to its strong wings. The Spur-Winged goose has a wingspan of 200cm in length.

6. Rock Pigeon (148.8 km/hr)

This bird is the one that you will mostly see everywhere as it poops on top of your car or even your head. To your surprise, it is also one of the fastest birds in the world moving at an average speed of 148.8 km/hr(92 miles/hr).

This bird can be found in the south European region, South Asia and North Africa. The Rock pigeon is also one of the oldest bird species based on the proof of fossils found by archaeologists.

With a population of 17-28 million birds in Europe alone, it is said to be one of the most populated birds. It usually flies at a low altitude and can be found in most residential areas.

5. Frigatebird (152.8 km/hr)

Frigatebird or also known by the name man-o'-war-bird has a rather interesting body feature. The male of a frigatebird will have some sort of red bag on its chest which is used to get the attention of the female during mating season as it makes it swell like a balloon.

In contrast, the female frigatebird has a white colored chest that is used in the same way as the male. The frigatebird is one of the biggest bird species in the tropical and subtropical oceans. Strangely enough, the frigate bird sometimes makes other small birds as its prey.

The name 'man-o'-war-bird' is due to it casually harassing other birds until they regurgitate the food that the frigatebird will steal. It also can move at a high speed of 152.8 km/hr(94 miles/hr) due to its large wingspan over its body size ratio.

4. Eurasian Hobby (160.9 km/hr)

The Eurasian Hobby bird is a falcon species that is relatively small compared to the structure size of its body. It is also known as "Falco' in the greeks which refers to its sharp claws. Its habitat is mostly in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

This bird originally is migratory that comes from afar. Research shows that this bird can fly to another distant location to lay its eggs. This explains why it would travel such far away from its location.

This will also tell us why it requires such hefty speed to travel afar moving at an average speed of 160.9 km/hr(99 miles/hr). It mostly hunts for other small birds, insects, and also rats.

3. Common Swift (168.9 km/hr)

The common swift is mostly found in Asia, Western Europe, and also in some parts of Great Britain, Sweden and Norway. This small bird is definitely outstanding that it can move at an average speed of 168.9 km/hr(104 miles/hr).

The Common Swift is known to spend most of its time in the air away from land. This bird can perfectly fly with less friction going against it. It has a pointed arrowed tail to help maneuver around and a weight of 120 grams for an adult bird.

2. Golden Eagle (321km/hr)

An eagle is not only efficient at flying around in the air but also moves at a fast speed as it dives toward its prey. This eagle species can be found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. The Golden Eagle is also known for its animal instinct in capturing its prey.

Aside from having a sharp eye and sight distancing, they are equipped with powerful legs that can even drag an adult sheep. With twice the speed of the third fastest bird in the world, it uses it to hunt rabbits, marmots, and squirrels.

It can maintain an average speed of 48km/hr while in the air and dive at a maximum speed of 321 km/hr(199 miles/hr).

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1. Peregrine Falcon (389.4 km/hr)

The Peregrine Falcon tops the list for not just being the fastest bird in the world but also the fastest creature out there. With a maximum speed capacity of 389.4 km/hr(241 miles/hr) making it the king in speed almost comparable to the fastest supercar in the world.

The bird that is also known as the Peregrine can be found on almost all continents across the globe. Researchers found that there are around 17-19 subspecies of Peregrine Falcon. The female species has an average weight of 700 to 1.5kg whereas the male has a slightly lower weight of 700g to 1kg.

The Peregrine Falcon usually diets on other small birds and is known to be trained for hunting, guardian, and many other uses.

Source:

• IDN Times

• Iluminasi

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