Birds: the fast, intrepid, distinctive, gorgeous and cute

The Fastest Animal

The peregrine falcon can fly at 90 mp, and reach 200 mph (322kmh) while diving to catch prey.

The longest migration

Every year the Arctic tern flies around 50,000 miles (80,500km) from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again, further than any other bird during its migration . It performs almost all its tasks in the air.

The Arctic Tern flies as well as glides through the air. It nests once every one to three years (depending on its mating cycle); once it has finished nesting it takes to the sky for another long migration.

A poisonous bird?

The Pitohui bird of New Guinea is the only known poisonous bird. Its toxic skin and feathers protect it from predators.

A bird with no wings

The kiwi is the only bird with no wings. He looks like he has fur rather than feathers, doesn’t he?

The Champion, both fast and intrepid

The great snipe can fly non-stop over a distance of around 4200 miles (6760km) at a phenomenal 60mph (97kmh). Swedish scientists put tiny data chips into 3 snipes and found that one bird flew 4225 miles (6800km) from Sweden to central Africa in just 3.5 days. The other two birds flew 3833 miles (6169km) in three days, and 2870 miles (4619km) in two days.

The peregrine falcon is fast. The arctic tern goes far but not particularly fast. Scientists have long known that snipes are incredibly fast birds. The word ‘sniper’ originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India: if a hunter was skilled enough to kill an elusive snipe, he was called a sniper.