“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 per hour.”
“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 per hour.”
Source: Earth Sky