Infographic: The fastest animals by flight speed.

The fastest animal in the world during a dive is the peregrine falcon, which can reach a maximum speed of 389 kilometers per hour. At the same time, the peregrine falcon ranks seventh in horizontal flight speed.

The three fastest animals in terms of diving speed are birds of prey: in addition to the peregrine falcon, these include the golden eagle (322 kilometers per hour) and the saker falcon (319 kilometers per hour).

In the ranking for maximum horizontal flight speed, the top spot is shared by the Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) and the red-breasted merganser, both flying at a speed of 161 kilometers per hour.

The top ten leaders in horizontal flight speed include: the pigeon (143 kilometers per hour), the osprey (129 kilometers per hour), the grey-headed albatross (127 kilometers per hour), the common swift (113 kilometers per hour), the golden plover (100 kilometers per hour), and the raven (97 kilometers per hour).