The fastest flying bird in the world

Great kestrels can only reach their maximum speed when performing a diving flight called a hunting swoop, according to IFL Science. This is essentially the dizzyingly fast free-fall technique that falcons use to catch their prey. After soaring high above their victim (which may be another bird), the falcon will fold its wings to ensure a more efficient aerodynamic shape as it falls straight down in a nose-down position. A split second before reaching its target on the ground or in the air, the falcon spreads its wings to slow its fall and change direction.

The fastest speed ever recorded by a peregrine falcon in a swoop was 240.4 mph, recorded by a bird named Frightful in Washington state. Filmed in a National Geographic documentary, the fall began when the peregrine falcon was released from a plane at 16,000 feet, well above the altitude at which the bird normally flies. Some ornithologists have questioned the record, wondering whether peregrine falcons can reach such heights under normal conditions.

Despite their record-breaking vertical speeds, peregrine falcons are no match for swiftlets in horizontal flight. During courtship rituals, swiftlets accelerate to a top speed of 70 mph. However, the white-throated wedge-tailed swift, a relative of the swiftlet, can fly much faster. Unconfirmed records suggest they can reach speeds of up to 105 mph.

Currently, the title of fastest horizontal flying animal belongs to the mammal Brazilian free-tailed bat with a speed of 160 km/h.