What is the fastest animal on earth? My mind immediately thinks of the cheetah, which can run in short bursts at speeds up to 75 miles per hour (121 km/h). Indeed the cheetah is the fastest land animal. However, the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), the fastest member of the animal kingdom, can reach speeds up to 242 miles per hour (389 km/h) when in a dive.
I was thrilled last week to spot this Peregrine Falcon perched at the top of a distant tree while exploring Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The bird was hard to see on an overcast day, but the muscular way that it was perched caused me to conclude that it was a bird of prey. I took this shot with my macro lens in order to document my sighting. As I was pulling out my camera with a longer zoom lens, the falcon flew off into the air. It flew away too fast for me to get a shot
When I read about the top speed of the Peregrine Falcon, I wondered how in the world that speed was determined. I came across this fascinating National Geographic film clip that documents one effort to measure the speed of a Peregrine Falcon. It is a short video that is well worth watching and includes a trained falcon and sky-diving scientists.
I love watching birds of all shapes and sizes, but there is something really special about seeing a powerful raptor like this Peregrine Falcon.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Regal.
Nice Mike! It is always fun to photograph raptors!
That’s a beautiful bird, Mike. The video was amazing,
Great image – really showing the serious demeanor of this killer. We live near a falcon “igloo” built a year or two ago when their previous nest was (on the old Manahawkin Bridge) was destroyed with construction of the new bridge. M 🙂
That’s pretty cool to hear about an artificial nest. Did the falcons take to it? I have read about falcons that have adapted to life in urban environments and will come zooming down to grab pigeons.
What a fun find, Mike! Way to take the shot with what you have ready!
That video was amazing…both that they were able to capture the bird in flight then catch the lure and what they found out about the speed. I was wondering what the falcon was thinking being flown in an airplane, make me chuckle.
Yes, they adapted well. You might want to check out exit63.wordpress.com, which (in part) documents the life stories of those falcons – “A Brother for Lavender” being a recent example post. The site is also known as “Readings From The Northside” primarily relating to coastal birds on Long Beach Island (NJ). M 🙂
I just read the heart-warming posting “A Brother for Lavender.” What an amazing story. The author provides an emotion-filled narrative that really drew me in, but includes periodic reminders that life can be a real challenge for these wild creatures.