How Fast Is A Gyrfalcon? | BBC Earth Explore

Maddie catches up with bird handling legend Lloyd Buck who explains the gyrfalcon's evolutionary adaptations.

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[jit-fm]

This is the best car commercial I have ever seen!

[LEIGHhe]

This was amazing to watch. I feel so lucky to have a gyrfalcon living in my backyard this year. I just found out today she had a baby as well.

[alvaroacwellan]

What a beautiful, magnificent bird!

I don't care about the car :D

[matsfreedom]

Birds of prey fly at speeds that suit their needs at the moment. Chasing a lure is a fun game, but nothing like chasing wild game. A hungry gyrfalcon chasing, say, a wild Pintail duck, will chase at top speed, which is much faster than what we see in this video. It's life and death, survival of fittest, eat or die, that produces their real speed. Gyrfalcons are definitely the fastest of the falcons. I believe the Saudi falconers have clocked them at 90 mph, straight and level.

[styleyK]

50mph into a headwind, brilliant. Love nature 😊

[Toxiicblink]

For everyone wondering, the epic chicken reaches 80 km/h

[Flinn]

That’s a beautiful bird.. And that falcon looks pretty awesome too! 😗

[spindalis]

A buddy of mine actually just banded a female hatch-year Gyrfalcon in Iowa. This bird was very large and actually exceeded the measurements for an average Gyr. Huge girl.

[rei_cirith]

Just brilliant how you can see her trying to find that sweet spot behind the car where she can get faster. So beautiful.

[XR]

5:17 - Gyrfalcon immediately demonstrates its flapping prowess

[icook]

All very beautiful and majestic, but if you want all out speed and endurance, you need look no further than the humble pigeon.

[djdedan]

hmm looks like 5 peregrine falcons thumbed down this video...

[warnpassion]

Cinematography levels,

Beginner

Rookie

Advanced

Professional

Expert

God

BBC.

[steveyj]

Amazing video, BEAUTIFUL falcon. Thank you!!

[maggielandrey]

I think this became my new favorite youtube :O

[samdemic]

Beautiful specimen of nature....amazing creature.

[LateNightHacks]

much better cut on this one, thumbs up!

[sheikhsameer]

Very beautiful bird. I love falcon family

[Mr.Chris.P.Bacon]

3:25 *That hawk was SO BEAUTIFUL it was BREATHTAKING.*

[jordanjayd]

They get their maximum​ speed from bomb diving, in flat pursuits pigeons can actually get away.