List of birds by flight speed

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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	Image	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 gambensis	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

See also

• List of birds by flight heights

Note

1. Sustained ground speed for approximately nine hours with no rest on high tailwinds during an Antarctic storm.
2. 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]}