The Fastest Bird Alive (in 1848)

A falcon flown from Andalusia was found alive in Tenerife, roughly 752 miles away, about sixteen hours later. The account describes another long-distance flight: one of Henry II’s falcons escaped at Fontainebleau and was recaptured in Malta the very next morning. From that second flight, the book estimates a speed of about 75 miles an hour, sustained speed, not a brief burst. The two flights both point to the same striking figure, though the estimate comes from the second one.