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Today we're learning about the top 5 fastest birds in the world.
This is a countdown of the fastest birds in the world, but in fact, these five birds represent
the fastest animals of any kind in the entire world!
Number 5: the Eurasian Hobby.
A small falcon that resides in Africa, Europe, and Central and East Asia, the Eurasian Hobby
is a bird of prey. It flies powerfully, and fast. Its speed allows it to catch and even
sometimes eat its dinner midair - dragonflies, small bats, swallows, and even swifts.
The Eurasian Hobby may reach flight speeds of up to 100 miles or 161 kilometers per hour.
Number 4: the Swift.
Swifts look a bit like swallows, but they are actually more closely related to hummingbirds.
Swifts spend almost their whole lives in flight; they spend so much time in the air that hundreds
of years ago, people believed that they had no feet, since they were never seen to land!
Of course they do have feet, but their legs are small and weak and they never land on
the ground if they can help it.
Swifts have been reported flying at speeds of 106 miles or 171 kilometers per hour.
Number 3: the Gyrfalcon.
The Gyrfalcon is the largest of the falcon species. Living mainly in the Arctic and the
bordering areas of North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia, it feeds on birds and mammals
like lemmings, ground squirrels, and hares.
Gyrfalcons are valued by falconers, who use them in hunting. Although it rarely hunts
by diving, the Gyrfalcon achieves high speeds in its dives, as much as 130 miles, or 209
kilometers per hour.
Number 2: the Golden Eagle.
One of the largest and most widespread eagles in the Northern Hemisphere, the golden eagle
is considered one of the best fliers in the entire eagle family. Like the gyrfalcon, the
golden eagle is valued by falconers, but it can take much larger prey. It is such a large,
skilled hunter that it can even kill wolves.
In a full stoop, a golden eagle can reach speeds of 200 miles or 320 kilometers per
hour, making it the second-fastest living thing on Earth.
Number 1: the Peregrine falcon.
The fastest animal on the planet, the peregrine falcon is found on every continent except
Antarctica. It is about the same size as a crow, and it hunts birds almost exclusively,
although it will sometimes take small mammals or reptiles. Peregrines have been used by
humans in falconry to hunt game for at least 3,000 years.
In a full stoop, when it flies to a great height and then pulls its wings close and
dives, the peregrine falcon may reach speeds of 242 miles or 389 kilometers per hour - faster
than any other living thing on Earth.
I hope you enjoyed learning about the fastest birds on Earth - and stay tuned for more creature
countdowns from FreeSchool!