A couple of excellent photos in the article.

“A peregrine falcon has been pictured as it dives in an airfoil looking like a B-2 bomber in an impressive shot…”

Re: “The peregrine falcon, considered to be one of the fasted birds, can reach a speed of 390 km/h.” That’s 242 MPH, which sounds a bit too high to me.

https://mol.im/a/7081751

Always been a beautiful bird/specimen.

great shots of an awesome bird

Pretty cool how natural selection selected for a bird that was perfectly streamlined.

I wonder if engineers used the bird as a model, or if it is sort of like "convergent evolution" where the two independently arrived at the same solution to going fast in the air.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:... or if it is sort of like "convergent evolution" where the two independently arrived at the same solution to going fast in the air.

That's a more likely scenario however, I'm sure there were some that noted the similarities. Nature is a great resource for efficient and effective shapes.

We unexpectedly saw one of these in the Elk Preserve in Jackson Hole a week ago. He was sitting on a post, we slowed down to see WTH it was, realized, stopped and backed up a few feet to try to get a pic.

As soon as window rolled down he flew off, but only to the next post up the road, probably 1/16 of mile. OK, drive up to that one and as soon as we were slowing down again, off he goes, but this time back to where he was before. Obviously shy and smarter than us, we left him alone.

Beautiful bird, and one we'd never seen outside of a nature talk or bird show type dealie.

I hit one over the Grand Canyon in a Cessna 210 many years ago. It peeled the leading edge of the wing back to the spar. I was in a steep descent and it tried to outdive me; I saw it dive and impact, and felt it.

Beautiful birds.

On a trip to Yosemite a few years ago, I was on a tour with a ranger, who related a story about diving birds: An eagle, when it spots prey, goes into a dive that can reach 300mph! a hiker at one time was wearing a raccoon skin hat that apparently an eagle took for the real thing. Killed him.

Beautiful image.

Form follows function.

Even more impressive: the Peregrine Falcon incorporates variable-wing geometry and has the radar cross section of a small bird.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:
I hit one over the Grand Canyon in a Cessna 210 many years ago. It peeled the leading edge of the wing back to the spar. I was in a steep descent and it tried to outdive me; I saw it dive and impact, and felt it.

Beautiful birds.

Glad you clarified, was thinking you hit a B2 bomber

Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovocT91G1ww

Beauty, speed and great vision. Great pictures.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
I wonder if engineers used the bird as a model...

Yes.

Also of note, The fastest bullet trains around the world are modeled after the Kingfisher.

quote:

Originally posted by MattW:


Glad you clarified, was thinking you hit a B2 bomber

That might hurt, but they go a bit higher than me. I've never seen one in the Grand Canyon, though I've met up with some fast movers, B52's, and some HH53's there in the past.

Watching Peregrines take out Pigeons mid air is impressive.

Once had a ringside seat to see a Cooper's Hawk come out of a dive and go into Terrain Following mode after a mourning dove. the dove tried to escape into a bush but the hawk never slowed down. nothing but dove feathers exploded out the other side.

I am partial to kestral's

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

I wonder if engineers used the bird as a model...

I’d guess the Engineers copy nature. Nature already did the heavy lifting on many base designs.

Just look at sub hull designs... and where their design came from...