New Avian Speed Champion Discovered
Job 9:10: "Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number."
A peregrine falcon diving toward its prey reaches a relative speed of 200 body lengths per second. This is close to the 207 body lengths that the space shuttle travels as it enters the atmosphere. Thus, the peregrine falcon was thought to easily be the fastest daredevil bird.
Scientists have now discovered that a little pink male hummingbird called the Anna's hummingbird is the real "Top Gun" among birds. As part of its mating ritual, a male will try to impress a female with his speed and acrobatics. First, the male will fly up to about ninety feet above the ground. Then he begins a powered descent. As he nears the female, he pulls up, ascending again. During that pull-up, he experiences more than nine times the force of gravity. His relative speed during descent is 385 body lengths per second. That's almost twice the peregrine falcon's relative speed. It is more than twice the relative speed of a jet fighter running with afterburners. It is even faster than the Space Shuttle entering the atmosphere at a relative speed of 207 body lengths per second.
The wonders of God's creation are still being discovered. But His greatest wonder is His love for us though His Son, Jesus Christ. We are thankful that this wonder is revealed to us in the Bible.
Prayer: Father, I give You thanks for the wonders You create, but I especially give You thanks for the wonder of salvation. Amen.
Notes: Science News, 7-4-09, p. 7, Susan Milius, "Hummingbird pulls Top Gun stunts."
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