FLIGHT SPEED OF BIRDS 7 



Table 1. — Recorded speeds of some North American and European birds — Contd. 

 FLYING SPEEDS— Continued 



Species 



Miles per 

 hour 



Timing de- 

 vice 



Place 



Authority- 



Remarks 



European part- 

 ridge. 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do. 



Do... 



Bobwhite. 



Do. 

 Do. 



53 



27 



27.6-32.1 

 41 



40 



25-35 



40 

 48 



49 

 28-38 



California quail- 



Valley quail 



Gambel's quail... 



Pheasant. 



Do... 



Turkey... 



Lapwing- 



Do. 

 Do. 

 Do. 



Do. 



Do. 

 Do. 



Semipalmated 



plover. 



Killdeer 



European golden 



plover. 

 Do.. 



American golden 

 plover. 

 Do 



Black-bellied plov 



er. 

 Buddy, turnstone. 

 Do 



Woodcock 



Do 



Long-billed curlew 

 Hudsonian curlew. 



Willet 



Knot... --. 



Long-billed dowit- 



cher. 

 Semipalmated 



sandpiper. 

 "Western sandpiper. 



Sanderling... 



Gulls (sp. ?). 



Do 



Glaucous - winged 

 gull. 



Great black- 

 backed gull. 



Herring gull. 



Do 



39,51 



42 



40,45 



50 



28,33 



41 

 30-40 



32 



28-55+ 

 60 



70 



60+ 



70 



24 



27 



32 



Automobile- 

 Stop watch. 

 Automobile- 

 Airplane 



Automobile- 



England. 



._._ do. 

 . — do. 

 —do. 



....do 



Stop watch. 



Automobile. 



Automobile. 



._.-do___. 

 ....do-.-. 



Stop watch.. 

 Automobile. 



Theodolites. 



do 



Airplane 



do 



Automobile. 



do 



do 



.do.... 



.—do 



Airplane... 



Train 



Automobile. 



.do. 



-do 



..do 



..do 



..do 



.-do 



-do 



Do. 



44,52 



41 



30 



25 



20-28 



31.1 



21-36 

 17-20 



12 



do 



do 



do 



do 



...do. 



— do.. 



—do.. 



Boat 



Automobile. 

 Stop watch- 

 Automobile. 



do 



do 



England 



....do 



South Caro- 

 lina. 



Georgia- .. 



California. 



—.do 



— do 



England, 

 -—do... 



Palestine- 



France 



—.do 



.—do 



England 



.—do 



.—do 



Florida. 



California- 

 England. . 



do. 



Illinois. 

 Iowa... 



Florida. 



—do 



North Caro- 

 lina. 

 New England. 



Florida. 



do 



—do 



California. 



Florida 



California- 

 Florida 



California. ~ 



Irish Sea 



"Washington. 

 Germany. .. 

 England 



Portal (55) . 



Pitt (54) 



Anonymous (1). 

 Harrisson (33)... 

 Meinertzhagen 



(49). 

 Roberts (63) 



do. (63) 



Anonymous (6). 



Huntington (37). 

 Stoddard (68, 



p. 51). 

 McLean (46) 



do. (46). 



do. (46). 



Portal (55) 



Anonymous (1). 

 Kanoy (40) 



Meinertzhagen 

 (49). 



do. (49). 



do. (49). 



Portal (56).. 



Roberts (63). 



do. (63) 



Harrisson (32, 

 S3). 



Longstreet (44)- 



McLean (45) 



Meinertzhagen 



(49). 

 Portal (55) 



Martin (47) 



Youngworth (S8) 



Longstreet (44)- 



.... do. (44)-- 

 Howell, A. H. 



White (78, v. 50). 



Wood (84) 



Jones (39) 



Longstreet (44).. 



.....do. (44) 



do. (44) 



McLean (43) 



— do.. 



Longstreet (44)— 



McLean (45) 



Longstreet (44)-- 



Jones (S9) 



Gladstone (29) . . 



Rathbun (61)... 



Thienemann (69) 



Roberts (63) 



Harrisson (33)... 



do. (S S ) 



Average maximum level 

 flight through still air. 



Chased by car. 

 Air speed. 



5 observations, ordinary 



night. 

 Chased by car. 

 Birds flushed, top speed. 



Bird frightened. 



Mature birds, many tests 

 in all types of wind. 



Faster bird badly fright- 

 ened. 



3 observations. 



300 feet, somewhat fright- 

 ened. 



Average maximum level 

 flight through still air. 



3 observations. 



Paced 1 mile, urged on 

 by horn. 



Single bird against head 

 wind of 12 m. p. h., 

 860 feet altitude. 



Altitude 1,410 feet. 



Air speed. 



Air speed, 5,500 feet, alti- 

 tude. 



Zigzag flight and somer- 

 sault. 



Flock migrating. 



4 records, all easy flight, 

 24 m. p. h. planing to 

 ground at 45° angle. 



Wind behind. 



Air speed, birds pressed. 



Average maximum level 

 flight through still air. 



Easily passed train going 

 58 to 62 m. p. h. 



Flock of 30 for a mile. 

 Apparently not un- 

 usual speed. 



Wind abeam. 



4 birds, wind ahead. 



2 birds, 7 miles, wind 



abeam. 

 Wind ahead. 

 Flock, wind abeam. 

 5 birds. 



Flock, wind abeam. 



2 observations, level 

 flight. 



Wind behind about 10 

 m. p. h. 



Flock of 12 timed one- 

 half hour. 



Accompanied mail boat 

 without effort. 



4 observations. 



3 observations, very easy 



flight. 

 Planing near ground. 



