世界上速度最快的5種鳥

世界上速度最快的5種鳥

The cheetah will almost always win a race on land. But in the sky, the contest for the fastest bird depends on whether you're measuring level flight or speed while diving after prey.

在陸地上，獵豹幾乎總是能贏得比賽。但在空中，爭奪最快的鳥取決于你是在水平飛行還是在俯沖追逐獵物時測量速度。

Researchers aren't in agreement about which bird gets top honors. In fact, the Guinness Book of World Records was actually created in the 1950s when Sir Hugh Beaver, managing director of the Guinness Brewery, got into an argument with friends about the fastest game bird in Europe. No one could find an answer in a reference book, so Beaver decided to create one.

研究人員在哪種鳥獲得最高榮譽的問題上意見不一。事實上，吉尼斯世界紀錄是在上世紀50年代創(chuàng)造的。當時，吉尼斯啤酒廠的總經(jīng)理休·比弗爵士和朋友們就歐洲最快的獵鳥發(fā)生了爭論。沒有人能在參考書中找到答案，所以比弗決定創(chuàng)造一個答案。

1. Peregrine Falcon

游隼

When diving for prey, peregrine falcons can reach speeds of 200 mph (320 kph). Ian Dyball / Getty Images

When in level flight, the powerful peregrine falcon zooms at not-too-shabby speeds averaging 25 to 34 mph (40-55 km/h). But it’s when this bird goes after prey that it really shows its spectacular abilities. The peregrine soars to great heights, then drops into a deep dive — called stooping — at speeds up to 200 mph (320 km/h). To put that into perspective, a cheetah can regularly reach speeds up to 70 mph (112 km/h) and a greyhound can reach 45 mph (72 km/h).

在水平飛行時，威力強大的游隼以25 - 34英里/小時(40-55公里/小時)的中等速度飛行。但只有在這種鳥追逐獵物的時候，它才真正展示出它驚人的能力。游隼飛升到很高的高度，然后俯沖下來，以每小時200英里(320公里/小時)的速度俯沖下來，這被稱為“俯身”。相比之下，獵豹的時速通常可達70英里/小時(112公里/小時)，灰狗的時速可達45英里/小時(72公里/小時)。

2.Golden Eagle

金鷹

Golden eagles are protected by law. Fernando Sanchez De Castro / EyeEm / Getty Images

One of the largest raptors in North America, the golden eagle is a powerful brown bird with trademark golden feathers on its head and neck. When preying on rabbits, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs, the golden eagle dives to speeds of more than 150 mph (241 km/h). Golden eagles use their massive talons to snatch their prey and have even been known to take down deer and livestock. Once feared and hunted by ranchers, they are now protected by law.

金鷹是北美最大的迅猛動物之一，是一種強壯的棕色鳥類，頭部和頸部有標志性的金色羽毛。當捕食兔子、地松鼠和土撥鼠時，金鷹俯沖的速度超過每小時150英里(241公里/小時)。金鷹用它們巨大的爪子搶奪獵物，甚至還獵殺鹿和牲畜。它們曾經(jīng)被牧場主們害怕和獵殺，現(xiàn)在卻受到法律的保護。

3.White-throated Needletail

白喉針尾雨燕

The white-throated needletail has distinctive white markings. H_Yasui / Getty Images

While the peregrine falcon and golden eagle show remarkable speed when diving after prey, other birds are much faster in level flight. Although not scientifically proven, the white-throated needletail is believed by many researchers to be the fastest bird flying in a straight line. Formerly known as the spine-tailed swift, the cigar-shaped bird with the striking white throat can reportedly reach speeds up to 105 mph (169 km/h).

游隼和金鷹在潛水捕食時速度驚人，而其他鳥類在水平飛行時速度要快得多。盡管沒有科學的證明，白喉針尾被許多研究人員認為是在直線上飛行最快的鳥。它的前身是“雨燕”，外形像雪茄，喉嚨呈白色，據(jù)說時速可達169公里/小時。

4.Eurasian Hobby

燕隼

The Eurasian hobby is known for its aerial acrobatics. Denja1 / Getty Images

Recognized for their acrobatic skills, Eurasian hobbies are so athletic that they can pass food to each other mid-flight as they are soaring through the skies. These falcons are believed to be able to reach speeds up to 99 mph (159 km/h) when they snatch small birds and dragonflies out of the air. They prefer open woodland, heathland, and farmland, and they can be found in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

歐亞大陸的動物以其高超的雜技技能而聞名，它們的運動能力非常強，在飛越天空的過程中，它們可以互相傳遞食物。據(jù)信，這些燕隼能夠達到99英里/小時(159公里/小時)的速度，它們可以從空中捕食小鳥和蜻蜓。它們喜歡開闊的林地、石楠叢和農(nóng)田，它們分布在非洲、亞洲和歐洲。

5.Frigatebird

軍艦鳥

Frigatebirds can fly for weeks at a time. Jonne Seijdel / Getty Images

Frigatebirds can fly for weeks at a time. They spend most of their lives soaring in the clouds, often sleeping mid-flight. These sea birds catch their prey from the water or from the air. Sometimes they bother other birds, irritating them so much that they cough up whatever fish they’ve eaten and the frigatebird swipes it, says NPR. Frigatebirds do all this at remarkable speeds, reaching an estimated 95 mph (153 km/h) during flight. Males have a distinctive red pouch below their beaks which they inflate during breeding.

軍艦鳥一次能飛好幾個星期。它們一生中的大部分時間都在云中飛翔，經(jīng)常在飛行途中睡覺。這些鳥從水里或空中捕食。美國國家公共廣播電臺(NPR)報道說，有時它們會打擾其他鳥類，非常刺激它們，它們會把吃過的魚咳出來，軍艦鳥就會拍打它。軍艦鳥以驚人的速度完成這一切，在飛行中可以達到每小時95英里(153公里/小時)。雄性的喙下有一個特別的紅色育兒袋，它們在繁殖的過程中會膨脹。