Falconer Ken Franklin's trained peregrine falcon, Frightful, was recorded diving at 242 mph (389.5 km/h) in 1999 after being released from a Cessna 172 at 17,000 feet and tracked with an altimeter and GPS. Guinness World Records recognizes it as the fastest confirmed speed of any animal on Earth.
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Falconer Ken Franklin's trained peregrine falcon, Frightful, was recorded diving at 242 mph (389.5 km/h) in 1999 after being released from a Cessna 172 at 17,000 feet and tracked with an altimeter and GPS. Guinness World Records recognizes it as the fastest confirmed speed of any animal on Earth.
The fastest speed recorded for a peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) during a hunting stoop (dive), measured with onboard or tracking instrumentation.
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Permanent ID limitsregistry.com/limits/LR-PEREGRINE-FALCON-DIVE
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Limits Registry. LR-PEREGRINE-FALCON-DIVE. Peregrine falcon dive speed. 2026.