Red-breasted Merganser
It is claimed to be the fastest, at 129 km/h (80 mph). The White-throated Needletail has reportedly flown at 170 km/h (105 mph). There appears to be no international body to recognise these formally as official speed records. The Peregrine Falcon reaches over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its hunting dive, making it the fastest in the animal kingdom, but this speed cannot be maintained for long.
