Common swift is a medium-sized bird with curved wings and a forked tail. It spends the spring and summer in its natural breeding territories of Europe and Asia.
Red-breasted merganser is a type of sawbill duck with a long, serrated bill and crest feathers around the head. Like many other waterfowl, it prefers to breed in northern climates.
Grey-headed albatross is unique on this list. This bird spends almost its entire life at sea, sometimes roaming more than 8,000 miles in search of food.
Eurasian Hobby is a small, slender species of falcon that breeds in Europe and Asia and then migrates as far south as the tip of Africa for the winter.
White-throated needletail, which gets its name from the sharp needle-like feathers at the end of the tail, is actually a species of large swift.
Red-tailed hawk, which can be found all over the North American continent, from Alaska to Panama, is not the fastest flyer on this list. It can fly with speeds of about 20 to 40 mph.
White-feathered gyrfalcon is a fascinating species in many different ways. It is believed to be the largest falcon species in the world.
With a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet, the golden eagle is a symbol of both size and power. While its average flight speed of around 28 to 32 mph may not seem that impressive.
The endangered saker falcon patrols the open grasslands of Eurasia and Africa to feed on smaller rodents and birds.
The peregrine falcon takes the crown as the fastest species of bird in the world. An emblem of hunting and culture throughout human history, this bird can achieve speeds of around 200 to 240 mph.