Because of its high speed in flight (it can reach up to 400 kilometres per hour in a dive), the intense pressure of the air can cause a pied hawk’s lungs to burst.

However, thanks to the small bony tubercles behind its beak, shock waves are directed away from them.This distinctive design has also been used in jet engines.

So far, no bird known can match the flying speed of a Peregrine falcon in its hunting dive.
The Peregrine falcon is the fastest bird – and in fact the fastest animal on Earth – when in a dive. As it executes this dive, the Peregrine falcon soars to a great height, then dives steeply at speeds of over 200 miles (320 km) per hour. The video above gives you an idea of how fast this is, as seen from the falcon’s point of view.
The Peregrine falcon’s diving speed is amazing. But this bird doesn’t make the top 10 when traveling in level flight. Studies have clocked an Indian bird, the spine-tailed swift, at over 100 miles (160 km) per hour. To see more of the world’s fastest birds while traveling at level flight,
(It is an excerpt from Semih Tütünnsatar.)
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