The peregrine falcon is no slouch. Capable of achieving speeds of over 320 kilometers per hour (200 miles per hour), this rapid raptor is not just the fastest bird in the sky, but the speediest animal on the planet.

However, the peregrine falcon is only able to reach these dizzying speeds when performing a kind of dive known as a hunting stoop. When it comes to level flight, there’s another bird that takes the gold.

Sticking with the overall champ for now, a hunting stoop is essentially a break-neck free-fall maneuver that the falcon uses to catch its prey. Soaring to a height far above its victim – which may well be another bird – the peregrine then tucks in its wings to ensure a more aerodynamic shape before plummeting beak-first, almost straight downwards.

A split-second before reaching its target – whether on the ground or in the air – the falcon spreads its wings in order to break its fall and change direction. The fastest speed ever clocked by a peregrine falcon in a hunting stoop is 389.46 kilometers per hour (242 miles per hour), which was achieved by a bird named Frightful from Washington State.

Recorded as part of a documentary for National Geographic, this meteoric descent began when the falcon was released from a plane at an altitude of 5,182 meters (17,000 feet), which is far higher than a bird of this sort would usually fly. The validity of this record has therefore been challenged by some ornithologists who question whether a peregrine falcon could reach such a high speed under normal conditions.

Despite their ridiculous vertical velocity, however, peregrine falcons are no match for the common swift when it comes to regular, wing-powered flight. During courtship displays – known as "screaming parties" – these small birds live up to their names by accelerating to their top speed, with the fastest ever recorded flight being 111.6 kilometers per hour (69.3 miles per hour).

While this is the highest speed to have been reliably measured in a bird in level flight, it’s widely thought that the white-throated needletail – a relative of the common swift – may be able to go much faster, with unconfirmed reports suggesting a top speed of 169 kilometers per hour (105 miles per hour). 

For the time-being, however, the title of fastest animal in level flight actually belongs to a mammal. Putting all avian contenders to shame, the Brazilian free-tailed bat has stolen the crown by traveling at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour (99.5 miles per hour) – much to the disappointment of all the swifties out there.