What are the top 5 fastest and slowest animals that can fly?
Fastest. The fastest of all known flying animals is the peregrine falcon which when diving has been recorded at 188 km/h or faster. The fastest animal in flapping flight might be the white-throated needle-tailed swift at 170 km/h. In level flapping flight a good contender for the fastest living animal recorded is the red-breasted merganser at 161 km/h. Slowest. Most flying animals need to travel forward at a minimum speed to stay aloft. However some creatures can stay in the same spot, known as hovering, either by rapidly flapping the wings, as in hummingbirds, hoverflies, dragonflies, and some others, or carefully using thermals as in some birds of prey. The slowest flying non-hovering bird recorded is the American woodcock at 8 km/h, however many insects probably fly much slower than this.
