This bird flies faster than a race car

It's not about the engine, it's about the dive. See how this bird wins the speed race

By Smartasaurus· 1 min read Wild

your lungs would basically collapse

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The short version

It's not about the engine, it's about the dive. See how this bird wins the speed race
To see what they are doing at these speeds, their eyes are equipped with a second set of eyelids that are completely transparent.
Curiously, even at these lethal speeds, the falcon's biggest danger isn't the ground, but its own feathers.

If you stuck your head out of a car window at 240 miles per hour, your lungs would likely collapse from the sheer force of the air pressure. Yet, the Peregrine Falcon hits these speeds habitually while hunting. It moves so fast that it has to use specialized bony tubercles in its nostrils to act as baffles, slowing the incoming wind so the bird can breathe without popping its internal organs.

When this bird hits a pigeon, it doesn't usually grab it. Instead, it clenches its talons into a fist and punches the prey out of the sky. The impact is often enough to instantly decapitate the target or break its wings before the falcon circles back to catch the falling body.

To see what they are doing at these speeds, their eyes are equipped with a second set of eyelids that are completely transparent. These work like goggles, allowing the falcon to keep its eyes open and focused while debris and air blast past at speeds that would blind any other animal.

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