NPR

Peregrine Falcons Attack Like Missiles To Grab Prey Midair, Scientists Find

The same guidance principle that governs how missiles intercept moving targets also describes how the falcons, which are known to dive at 200 mph or more, plummet to catch their prey.
A peregrine falcon in Germany. A new study finds the birds are able to dive at high speeds and catch moving prey using a mathematical principle that also guides missiles.

Peregrine falcons, known for making spectacular dives to snatch smaller birds midair, conduct their aerial assaults in much the same way that military missiles hit moving targets, scientists have found.

Peregrines have been at 200 mph or more, plummeting toward dinner with astonishing precision. How, exactly, the birds are able to do that at such speeds has been the subject

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