Ubaid KhalidPeregrine falcon is a very powerful and fast-flier. It is by far one of the fastest birds in the world. The falcon can cruise at an average speed of 24 to 34 miles per hour. This speed shoots up to 69 miles per hour during pursuit. However, when the falcon stoops down on a quarry in a spectacular dive, it cruises at a jaw-dropping speed, flying as fast as 238 miles per hour.
How Fast Does a Peregrine Falcon Fly?
The falcon beats its wings faster during pursuit, getting help from its tapered wingtips. The bird flaps its wings as it spirals up in order to gain altitude. It is estimated that the falcon must attain a terminal velocity of 228 to 238 miles per hour in a vertical dive with wings tucked.
The stooping speeds of a peregrine falcon have been calculated to range from 99 to 273 miles per hour. According to a parachutist named Franklin, the falcon turns into a shape of a diamond when it cruises at a speed of 150 miles per hour. But when it reaches a speed of 200 miles per hour, the bird gets more elongated with closed wings.
Source:
White, Clayton M., Nancy J. Clum, Tom J. Cade and W. Grainger Hunt. 2002. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.660
