Peregrine falcons maneuver best when dive-bombing at over 300 km/hr

Higher speeds let them generate more turning force.

CREDITS:

producer
Sarah Crespi

script and story
Katie Langin

citation
Robin Mills et al.
PLOS Computational Biology 2018

falcon simulation video and stills
Robin Mills

falcon-cam footage
C. H. Brighton et al., PNAS 2017
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1714532114

additional falcon footage and images
Caroline Brighton
videoblocks
pond5

music
"Is that you or are you you"
Chris Zabriskie

[matthewb]

The still photos of the falcon look like fighter jets. So cool.

[briangarrow]

I was fortunate enough to have worked at a wastewater treatment plant on the Pacific northwest coast of Washington State, near a wildlife refuge. Our staff would call the wildlife biologists when the birds were in the area and they would drive out to set traps to lure in and catch peregrins and gyrfalcons so they could be banded and examined. They used live pigeons as bait and had a rocket operated net system for catching the raptors.

[فكربعقولالعباقره]

Falcons are roughly divisible into three or four groups. The first contains the kestrels (probably excepting the American kestrel);[11] usually small and stocky falcons of mainly brown upperside color and sometimes sexually dimorphic; three African species that are generally gray in color stand apart from the typical members of this group. Kestrels feed chiefly on terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates of appropriate size, such as rodents, reptiles, or insects.

The second group contains slightly larger (on average) species, the hobbies and relatives. These birds are characterized by considerable amounts of dark slate-gray in their plumage; their malar areas are nearly always black. They feed mainly on smaller birds.

Third are the peregrine falcon and its relatives, variably sized powerful birds that also have a black malar area (except some very light color morphs), and often a black cap, as well. They are very fast birds with a maximum speed of 390 kilometres per hour. Otherwise, they are somewhat intermediate between the other groups, being chiefly medium gray with some lighter or brownish colors on their upper sides. They are, on average, more delicately patterned than the hobbies and, if the hierofalcons are excluded (see below), this group typically contains species with horizontal barring on their undersides. As opposed to the other groups, where tail color varies much in general but little according to evolutionary relatedness, [note 1] However, the fox and greater kestrels can be told apart at first glance by their tail colors, but not by much else; they might be very close relatives and are probably much closer to each other than the lesser and common kestrels. The tails of the large falcons are quite uniformly dark gray with inconspicuous black banding and small, white tips, though this is probably plesiomorphic. These large Falco species feed on mid-sized birds and terrestrial vertebrates.

Very similar to these, and sometimes included therein, are the four or so species of hierofalcons (literally, "hawk-falcons"). They represent taxa with, usually, more phaeomelanins, which impart reddish or brown colors, and generally more strongly patterned plumage reminiscent of hawks. Their undersides have a lengthwise pattern of blotches, lines, or arrowhead marks.

While these three or four groups, loosely circumscribed, are an informal arrangement, they probably contain several distinct clades in their entirety.

[StuffLikeRadiohead]

Great video and research guys. Great paper from Mills et al

[bernardoramos]

What about the collision with the prey at this speed?

[chizeremercy]

Unfortunately, the falcon does not know that it is the fastest animal on the globe.

[calebyeager]

I think there is one hanging around my house, it dives at our vehicles anytime we leave and will also dive at u if your not whacthing it.

[pechaybaguio]

It was timed at 390 km per hour at stop speed

[graveyardssforeverz]

I always believed that the could fly that fast but to see it on camera is shocking!

[sheikhsameer]

Keeping record speed. Verily this is missile.

[BestOfAnimalss]

I have seen a peregrine falcon and tried to film it flying but couldn’t because is so freaking fast

[TheSovietWombat]

Fun fact, During WW2 german Stuka Pilots used to study falcons for their technique in diving at fast speeds since JU87 dive bombers dived at the same speed as a falcon

[RoadWarrior-lovt]

This falcon is literally the bird version of the ME-262. Superior speed and dive bomb capabilities, but not so good at dogfighting.

[Longnecklizard]

Imagine diving a quarter that of the speed of sound

[mannysamson]

In my opinion, the fastest animal in the world is the IRS contacting you about the taxes you forgot to pay.

[eclipse]

So they evolved to be faster to be more manuevable

[ianspaintpot]

and the perigrine is the fasted aminal on the planet

[DidBer]

389...wikipedia. tell me who is measuring a peregrine s dive?!!

[mohamednawsar]

Falcon came catch and go
I lost my bird

[brometheusthefirstbro]

So to be fast is to be successful that should be a quote of some kind and it should be the quote for my life but sadly nope