Top 10 Fastest Flying Birds

Elucidating the top 10 fastest flying birds from a bulky catalogue of birds considering its heterogeneity and variety really requires some thought provoking search initiative. Birds are the nature’s one of the most beautiful creatures that caught the imagination of the poets cutting across generations and regions to jot down a few lines of their sonnets or couplets with finesse. The beauty and the versatile acrobatic maneuvers that mostly birds of different kinds perform with ease, while soaring high in the sky is really something awesome and that’s why people belonging to different shades of life whenever gets time of their hectic schedule and programs tries to catch a glimpse of these nature’s cutest and even sometimes boldest flying vertebrate and endothermic animals.

The list of ten fastest flying birds which was more or less accepted in a worldwide manner:

1. Grey-headed albatross:

Also known as Thalassarche chrysostoma, the albatross has a circumpolar distribution over cold sub Antarctic and Antarctic waters. It averages 81 cm in length and 2.2 m in wingspan and can weigh between 2.8 to 4.4 kg. It is the fastest bird, flying at 127 kilometres per hour.

2. Common Eider:

Eider Duck (also known as Somateria mollissima) happens to be the second fastest flying bird in the world with maximum speed of 76 kilometers. Mostly seen in the Northern Hemisphere, They are large sea ducks belonged to the genus Somateria and the broader family of Anatidae.

3. Bewick’s Swan:

This is a Holarctic swan which is also known as the Cygnus Columbianus. They are the smallest species of swans to visit Great Britain and are inclined to ceaseless wanderlust. Bewick’s Swan is similar in appearance to its sister species, the Whooper Swan, but is smaller, has a shorter neck and has a more rounded head shape with an adjustable bill pattern. It is the third fastest bird, flying at 72 kilometres per hour.

4. Barnacle Goose:

The bird was first classified in 1803 by Johann Matthäus Bechstein and was originally named Branta Leucopsis. In England, the world barnacle represented the word goose. The bird itself is medium-sized, 55-70cm long and has a wingspan of 130-145cm. It has a white face and breast and black head, neck, and upper breast.

The Barnacle Goose is the 4th fastest bird and flies at 68 kilometres per hour.

5. Common Crane:

This bird is better known as Grus Grus and comes from a family of Gruidae (the cranes). It is a large stately bird which is approximately 100-130cm long and has a wingspan of 180-240cm. Its features include a grey with a white facial streak and a bunch of black wing plumes. Many adults also have a red crown patch. What distinguishes the crane from others is its loud trumpeting call it gives in flight and display. It also has a dancing display when jumping with wings elevated.

The bird is the 4th fastest bird tying with the barnacle at 68 kilometres per hour.

6. Mallard Duck:

Mallard Duck whose scientific name is Anas platyrhynchos and it turned out to be the nineth fastest flying bird in the world with a maximum a speed of 65 kilometers per hour. The Mallard duck is mostly observed in wetlands and it generally feeds on water plants. It is not only migratory in nature but also a bit gregarious and breeds in Central and North American regions. The Mallard duck happened to be the ancestor of all domestic ducks, and therefore it can inter-breed with other species belonging to the genus Anas. The outcome of these inter-breeding is producing rarer species of ducks which are a bit diluted genetically.

7. Red Throated Loon:

Also known as Gavia Stellata, it is a migratory aquatic bird that can be found in the Northern Hemisphere. Ranging between 55 and 67 cm in length, the red-throated loon is the smallest and the lightest. The name comes from the red throat patch which the loon acquires during breeding seasons.

The bird is the 6th fastest bird, flying at 61 kilometres per hour.

8. Wood Pigeon:

Better known as Columba Palumbus, the bird comes from the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. In North and Eastern Europe and western Asia, it is known as a migrant. In Western Europe it is distributed quite well and is abundant. It is distinct for its quick flight and loud clattering sound during take-off.

The bird is the 6th fastest bird tying with the Red Throated Loon at 61 kilometres per hour.

9. Oystercatcher:

These birds are a group of waders that come from the Haematopodidae family. They are mostly found on the coasts throughout the world, in Polar Regions and in tropical regions of Africa and Southeast Asia. Mark Catesby termed this bird given its habits of eating oysters.

Ranging between 39 to 50 cm in length and 72 to 91 cm in wingspan, the bird comes in at #9 on this list. It flies 58 kilometres per hour.

10. Ring Necked Pheasant:

Also known as the Pasianus colchichus, it comes from the pheasant family and is found widely in Georgia. The most widespread and ancient gamebirds in the world, it is also the most hunted.

Ranging between 60 and 89 cm in length and being distinct for its long brown streaked black tail, the bird is the 10th fastest in the world. It flies at 54 kilometres per hour.