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Top 10 List:
The world's fastest birds
[more Top-10 Lists]
This list is based on the travelling speed when measured in level flying. The fastest animal is also a bird (see list), the Peregrine falcon, recorded when in a dive ( see notes below). The top of this list, the Spine-tailed swift, obviously gets it's name 'swift' for being so fast.
| Bird | max. recorded speed (kph) | speed (mph) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Spine-tailed swift, also known as the White-throated Needletail (scientific name: Hirundapus caudacutus) | 171 | 106 |
| 2. | Frigate bird | 153 | 95 |
| 3. | Spur-winged goose | 142 | 88 |
| 4. | Red-breasted merganser | 129 | 80 |
| 5. | White-rumped swift | 124 | 77 |
| 6. | Canvasback duck | 116 | 72 |
| 7. | Eider duck | 113 | 70 |
| 8. | Teal | 109 | 68 |
| =9. | Mallard | 105 | 65 |
| =9. | Pintail | 105 | 65 |
- The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest bird, and in fact the fastest animal on the planet, when in its hunting dive, the stoop, in which it soars to a great height, then dives steeply at speeds of over 200 mph (see fastest animals) However, it does not make the top ten when travelling in level flight.
Other fastest animal lists include:
- Top 10 fastest animals
- Top 10 fastest fish
- Top 10 fastest mammals