This Video is Amazing!! This is one Fast Falcon

peregrine falcon

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Whow

And she's beautiful

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It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

Whow

And she's beautiful

I take it that this video was shot in England. What an awesome site from 10,000 feet!

I agree that Falcon is beautiful she was very well taken care of by her owners.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

. . . C'est Bon - Thanks Matthew - that was quite Interestin'

we 'ave a few exotics that fly 'bout here in the Carolina's . . .

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BOINC Wiki . . .

Science Status Page . . .

Here is A photo I found on the internet of the Peregrine Falcon

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

. . . C'est Bon - Thanks Matthew - that was quite Interestin'

we 'ave a few exotics that fly 'bout here in the Carolina's . . .

Were they all Falcons?

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

what a cool video Matthew!

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That is a peregrine falcon. I believe they can hit up to 250 MPH in a dive--that's because they can fold their wings back. They must have special cushioning for their brain to absorb the impact when they hit their prey (Pigeon e. g.).

Pigeons can hit 120 Mph in level flight.

--Anyone know for sure ??

. . . C'est Bon - Thanks Matthew - that was quite Interestin'

we 'ave a few exotics that fly 'bout here in the Carolina's . . .

Were they all Falcons?

'Bubo virginianus'

. . . nope - some are very large 'Great Horned Owl's' - Bubo virginianus, Brown Pelicans, Short-tailed Albatross's,

Pheasants, Accipitridae - Hawks and lots of rare Buzzards (or Vultures)

- some of which are 'extremely large' and 'very weird-lookin' ;))

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BOINC Wiki . . .

Science Status Page . . .

I have an owl that raises a ruckus every few nights just outside my bedroom window.........proud to have 'im there, 'cuz they are kinda rare.........

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Falcons = Parrots ?

DNA: Falcons Closer To Parrots Than Hawks
Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 27th, 2008

The secret kinship of falcons and parrots is one of many surprises in a landmark genetic study of 169 bird species being published by Chicago Field Museum researchers.

A consequence of the study in the June 27, 2008 edition of the journal Science is a re-ordering of the field guides that many of America’s 80 million bird-watchers use. Most bird guides are based on scientific classifications, which experts said the new work could change in numerous ways.

“This is the most important single paper to date on the higher-level relationships of birds,” said Joel Cracraft, curator of birds at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, who was not part of the study.

The Field Museum launched a five-year effort with seven other institutions to do an unprecedented genetic analysis discovering many cases in which seemingly similar birds were merely distant relatives, or birds long assumed to be unrelated were closely linked.

Grebes, a type of diving bird, are not related to loons, as ornithologists had long believed. Surprisingly, grebes appear closely related to flamingos.

The analysis also showed falcons are more closely related to parrots than to other hunters such as hawks and eagles. If true, the finding would mean that falcons do not even belong in the scientific order originally named for them.

The new lineage helps showcase how evolution works, experts said. Although falcons do not appear closely related to hawks, each species developed similarly shaped beaks and talons to hunt prey—an evolutionary process that biologists call convergence.

Working the new results into the guidebooks that birders use could take years, but many experts said some change is likely. Such books normally take their cue from the American Ornithologists’ Union, which releases an updated checklist of bird species each year.

Carla Cicero, curator of birds at the University of California-Berkeley’s museum of ornithology and a member of the committee that decides on changes to the checklist, said the committee typically waits for many teams to duplicate new findings before changing its bird classifications.

Still, “there are going to be a lot of changes, I can tell you that,” Cicero said.

Although conclusions like the falcon-parrot link may rattle some bird specialists, Joel Greenberg, an expert bird-watcher and editor of an anthology of Chicago nature writing, said such surprises can deepen the delight of studying birds.

“This may be one more of God’s little jokes,” Greenberg said.

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although peregrine falcon may be fastest, for me the most beautiful flying will be by common swift (apus apus), really fast level flight and ridiculously sharp turns.

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"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exist elsewhere in the Universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin to the Hobbes

That is a peregrine falcon. I believe they can hit up to 250 MPH in a dive--that's because they can fold their wings back. They must have special cushioning for their brain to absorb the impact when they hit their prey (Pigeon e. g.).

Pigeons can hit 120 Mph in level flight.

--Anyone know for sure ??

According to the video the Peregrine Falcon had to exceed 180mph to reach the skydivers so I think at least 200 mph.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

I have an owl that raises a ruckus every few nights just outside my bedroom window.........proud to have 'im there, 'cuz they are kinda rare.........

He was there again last night........hoot hoot.........

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

High-Velocity Falcon

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

High-Velocity Falcon

Yeah! The Matt is back! Good to see you posting again my friend!

High-Velocity Falcon

Yeah! The Matt is back! Good to see you posting again my friend!

thanks for the kinds words Mumps!! it is great to be back!

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010