Would you like to know which are the world fastest birds? Would you like to know how fast these exotic birds are? Are you interested in learning a little more about their feeding, location and hunting skills? Find here a list of the fast exotic birds and learn about the unique characteristics that distinguish these incredible animals.
1. Peregrine Falcon
Scientific name: Falco peregrinus
The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird and the fastest animal in the world. It is a hunting bird, which can easily exceed 350 km / h when executing a dive to reach its prey. According to official records, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon in flight was 385 km / h in 2005. However, specialists estimate that these exotic birds reach 400 km / h at low altitudes and could exceed 600 km / h at high altitudes.
The body of a peregrine falcon has small bony tubercles to avoid injury during its dive hunting maneuvers. Otherwise, the change in atmospheric pressure would easily injure your lungs and other body tissues. This adaptive ability allows it to drop down from high altitudes to gain speed and thus be able to hunt.
2. The great snipe
Scientific name: Gallinago media
The great snipes are exotic birds that live on beaches. They have a small body and something ‘circular. However, their seemingly unathletic build did not prevent them from setting a speed record. These birds are owners of the fastest flight recorded over long distances and without stops. Recent scientific observations revealed that snipe perform all their migration at an average speed of almost 100 km/h.
The discovery is due to the dedication of a group of biologists who captured 10 snipe birds in Sweden to analyze their flight behavior. In the selected birds, the scholars placed geolocators that allowed them to monitor their migration from Europe to the African continent.
3. Golden eagle
Scientific name: Aquila chrysaetos
Golden eagles are prized not only for their agility, but also for their beauty and hunting skills. In their flight maneuvers they can easily reach 300 km / h and are characterized as relentless hunters. The female is larger than the male, as she can measure up to 95 cm long and can weigh up to 5 Kilograms, while the male can measure 87 cm long and weigh 3 Kilograms at most.
The plumage of this exotic bird is generally dark brown with some tail feathers and white wings. The legs and beak wax are yellow. The beak and claws are black. The iris is hazel in color. The golden eagle is a majestic flyer. It can glide effortlessly for many hours and also develops high speed when flapping its wings. This bird is monogamous and each pair has a particular territory. The size of the territory is variable. Apparently the territory is not vigorously defended from other couples.
4. Alpine Swift
Scientific name: Tachymarptis melba
The Alpine Swift is the largest and most showy of the Spanish swifts. It has a typical silhouette in the shape of a crossbow, a short and slightly forked tail, and very long and narrow wings, with slow flapping. It has a short, flat bill and a very wide mouth; feathered legs and extremely short, which prevent it from landing on the ground; and small, strong clawed feet with all four toes pointing forward.
This bird shows a general olive brown coloration, darker on the wings, with two prominent white areas on the belly and throat, both separated by a brown collar. In this species, the female and the male are the same. The young are very similar to the adults, although a little darker and with feathers with white spots. This bird spends most of its life in the air, so it is almost always seen flying and in a group.
5. Brazilian merganser
Scientific name: Mergus octosetaceus
The adult “Brazilian Merganser” measures approximately 58 cm. Males weigh about 1.4 kg and females 1.1 kg. Two anatomical characteristics distinguish this species of duck, the cylindrical bill and a long and thin crest on the neck. The male has a beautiful white collar on the neck, and the female has white feathers on the throat, chest and belly. The beak presents, both in its lower and upper jaw, a group of teeth that are the ones that gave rise to its name.
The habitat of this species is shallow rivers. They are present in the south and center of Brazil and in the east of Paraguay, we can also find them in Argentina. This bird nests in the cavities of a tree and possibly in the hollows that are found naturally in rocks. Regarding its behavior, it is a very suspicious animal and when they feel threatened, they dive quickly.