Did you know that the peregrine falcon is the fasted animal on earth?
They can exceed 200 mph in a straight downward dive called a stoop. This is one of their methods of hunting. To do this a falcon flies high up in the sky. They fly in a wide circle and gain height as they go. They often go so high up that they can barely be seen with the naked eye. They continue to fly in a circular pattern while they scan below them for unsuspecting prey. Once they pick their target they fold their wings and make a straight downward dive at the prey. As they close in on their target they ball up their talons like a fist and knock the prey. This hit often kills their prey on impact. As the prey tumbles they grasp it with their talons and fly off with their prize.
