![]() The accepted knowledge about bats in flight is that because of a lower mass-to-wing-area ratio and a less aerodynamic body shape, they are slower but more maneuverable fliers than birds. It held that title for seven years, but earlier this month scientists published a paper crowning a new fastest flier: the Brazilian free-tailed bat. At a scientifically verifiable 31m/s (69 mph), achieved during mating flights (also known as “ screaming parties”), the swift was named the fastest pair of wings in the world. It turns out that measuring the speed of animals in flight is actually fairly difficult, and it wasn’t until 2009 that a research team from Lund University in Sweden used high-speed cameras to scientifically measure what they believed to be the fastest flier on the planet, the Common Swift. That number, however, had never been scientifically proven. So for many years, it was commonly held by scientists that the fastest-flying bird in level flight was the White-throated Needletail (formerly known as the Spine-tailed Swift), which could supposedly reach speeds of up to 47m/s (105 mph). ![]() It has been measured at speeds above 83.3 m/s (186 mph), but only when stooping, or diving. It's a bat.īut first, some background: The Peregrine Falcon is indisputably the fastest animal in the sky. The answer might surprise you, because according to the latest research, the fastest flier in the animal kingdom isn't a bird at all. So who took the title? The Peregrine Falcon? A frigatebird? Perhaps the Grey-headed Albatross? None of the above. The Common Swift has officially lost its crown as the fastest-flying animal in the sky. ![]()
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