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Originally Posted by meredith necker
There are some birds around that fly almost as fast as hummingbirds. They are larger than humming birds. Does anyone know what they are ?
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Not a lot to go on here, but I stumbled on a
few answers in a September 2003
National Geographic.
'Turns out, a hummingbird can fly between 30 to 70 MPH, depending on what it wants to do. When they cross the Gulf of Mexico non-stop, they travel fairly slowly -- 35 MPH.
Lots of birds fly faster. Pigeons can hit speeds of 110 MPH, with merganser ducks (at 100 MPH) close behind. Normally, a peregrine falcon just flaps along at 30 to 60 MPH speeds.
A scientific test to determine
exactly how fast a peregrine falcon can fly was conducted by a skydiver. He trained a peregrine falcon to eat pieces of beef from his hand, then jumped off a cliff (presumably properly attired).
He used a meter to scientifically determine that falcons reach 200 MPH. A recording speedometer was attached to the bird for confirmation.
(Here's thanking SS -- in advance)