Fastest Birds In The World

Common Swift- 70 mph The common swift is a medium-sized bird with curved wings and a forked tail. It spends the spring and summer in its natural breeding territories of Europe and Asia and travels to the southern part of Africa for the winter.

Red-breasted Merganser- 80 mph The red-breasted merganser is a type of sawbill duck with a long, serrated bill and crest feathers around the head. Like many other waterfowl, it prefers to breed in northern climates and then travels toward warmer coastal climates in the winter.

Grey-headed Albatross- 80 mph The grey-headed albatross is unique on this list. This bird spends almost its entire life at sea, sometimes roaming more than 8,000 miles in search of food. The only time it returns to land is for the breeding season.

Eurasian Hobby- 100 mph The Eurasian hobby is a small, slender species of falcon that breeds in Europe and Asia and then migrates as far south as the tip of Africa for the winter. This bird of prey has a very fast diving motion. As it swoops down to capture its prey, it can achieve diving speeds of nearly 100 mph.

White-throated Needletail- 105 mph The white-throated needletail, which gets its name from the sharp, needle-like feathers at the end of the tail, is actually a species of large swift. Due to its spiky look, it was formerly known as the spine-tailed swift and sometimes nicknamed storm bird.

Red-tailed Hawk- 120 mph The red-tailed hawk, which can be found all over the North American continent, from Alaska to Panama, is not the fastest flyer on this list. It can only achieve conventional flying speeds of about 20 to 40 mph. But when it spots prey, this bird will suddenly spring into action and dive down at speeds of more than 120 mph.

Gyrfalcon- 68 mph of Consistent Level Flight The white-feathered gyrfalcon is a fascinating species in many different ways. It is believed to be the largest falcon species in the world. It is one of the few birds that can breed along the frigid Arctic coasts. And it’s the official mascot of the US Air Force Academy.

Golden Eagle- 200 mph With a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet, the golden eagle is a symbol of both size and power. While its average flight speed of around 28 to 32 mph may not seem that impressive, the golden eagle can suddenly leap upon its prey with a dizzying dive speed approaching 150 to 200 mph.

Saker Falcon- 200 mph The endangered saker falcon patrols the open grasslands of Eurasia and Africa to feed on smaller rodents and birds. This fearsome predator swoops down on prey with a dive speed of up to 200 mph and paralyzes it with a quick strike. When in normal flight, it can also achieve a maximum speed of around 93 mph. 

Peregrine Falcon- 240 mph The peregrine falcon takes the crown as the fastest-flying bird in the world. An emblem of hunting and culture throughout human history, this bird can achieve speeds of around 200 to 240 mph in its deadly, high-speed dive (and up to 68 mph while in level flight).