Bird Flight Speed

BritChaser

BritChaser

Well-known member
Anyone know of any data on the flight speed of pheasants, quail, chukar, sharps, etc.?
 
Quail and chukar can flush and fly at about 45-50mph chukar can reach 60+ diving down a cliff, pheasants average around 40mph but heavily pushed birds can reach 60mph on a flush. Doves cruise at 60, but the smaller the bird the faster it is perceived to be flying. So a quail at 50 seems faster than a pheasant at 60. I have read that Himilayan snow partridges can reach speeds in excess of 100mph diving down a mountain, but I'll have to travel to Nevada to confirm this for myself.
 
First, excellent idea for a thread Britchaser. I've wondered this myself over the years.

quail hound......Is this actual speed or scale speed? 60 seems a bit fast. They don't look to be going as fast as a car when they pass. I'm not in any way suggesting you're full of it so to speak, these #'s just seem high to me. I hope they're accurate b/c I've got a great new excuse for missing if they are:rolleyes:

If this isn't just something you've heard, where can I see this information?

Thanks!
 
KB these are radared speeds published in The new, Hunters Encyclopedia published in the late sixties. They give average flush speeds and max recorded flush speeds. I see doves keeping up with freeway traffic regularly. The book I referenced is hard to find but is a great addition to any book collection at over a 1000 pages of all things hunting.
 
quail hound said:
KB these are radared speeds published in The new, Hunters Encyclopedia published in the late sixties. They give average flush speeds and max recorded flush speeds. I see doves keeping up with freeway traffic regularly. The book I referenced is hard to find but is a great addition to any book collection at over a 1000 pages of all things hunting.
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That sounds like a reliable reference. Thanks for sharing this info.
 
quail hound said:
Quail and chukar can flush and fly at about 45-50mph chukar can reach 60+ diving down a cliff, pheasants average around 40mph but heavily pushed birds can reach 60mph on a flush. Doves cruise at 60, but the smaller the bird the faster it is perceived to be flying. So a quail at 50 seems faster than a pheasant at 60. I have read that Himilayan snow partridges can reach speeds in excess of 100mph diving down a mountain, but I'll have to travel to Nevada to confirm this for myself.
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I've notice that the speed of pheasants is more variable. If they're frightened, they can scream away.
 
fcs

good come back,

dont think pheasants are faster than any other bird out there. grouse are slower than phzs. however rough grouse, i dont know how fast , that they fly because ive not hunted them. imo ducks are way faster than any other birds. most people miss imo in front or behind the bird that they are shooting at, so i get the the speed question. i think that the question that needs to be asked , is how do you swing your gun. most people miss because they have " buck fever" thats face it the great thing about phzs is when the pheasant get up , it scares the gun into your shoulder. therefore,people think that the bird is flying faster than it is, so they miss in front or they shoot behind. this ive found this is very true with quail. they have short wing and seem to be haulen ass. they dont fly that fast, but they want to get out of range and on the ground to run asap. my two pennys.:D
 
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How fast can the Demons run?? I heard 35 mph. Don't know if it was true!!
 
It seems like my lesser prairie chicken fly unusually fast and they torque their engine like a muscle car with a big block under the hood.
 
kansasbrittany said:
The greaters don't accelerate very fast, but they sure do cruise at a high speeds!
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Of course everything seems to fly fast to a guy my age. I don't know, but it sure seems like the LPC is in a hurry to get out of Dodge.

They remind me of the Blue Angels flying in formation. The LPC will flush in one of my canyons and will fly about three feet above the deck all moving in formation and zip down the canyon and around a corner and out of sight, before I can say anything. Well sometimes it takes me longer than most to say something, you see I have a speech impediment. If you want to know how I talk, mix Jimmy Stewart, Mel Tillis, and Will Rogers together and you got me. Sometimes this internet thing doesn't give you the full story on who you are talking too, at least I don't stutter on the keyboard.:)
 
I dddddiiiddddnnnnn''''tttt knnnnnnnow iiiiiiitttttt waassss fffffunnnny. Now see what you did.
 
You Know:) It's nice to know the average flight speed of say--Pheasants.
But,:eek: varies soooo much.
Rooster going to supper or roost, probably won't be scurrying along like one that has spotted you.
How about the wind? When that old rooster gets up and heads with the wind he is really moving out.
Opening day roosters aren't near as fast as December roosters.:eek:
Some are like a good baseball pitcher with a great mix of pitches and speed.
I'm making excuses why I'm out front or behind many-a-rooster.:cheers:
 
When talking pheasants I think the real question is "How fast do pheasants RUN?" :) I'll take my chances on a fast flying pheasant but those track stars are the hard ones to put in the vest :) You could probably say the same for a lot of other upland game as well :D
 
Interesting to see that quail are supposedly faster than pheasants! Can you tell I've never hunted wild quail. :eek:

Ruff grouse seem faster than pheasants IMO, but then again perhaps it's a perception trick due to the cover of the grouse woods verses the openness of the pheasant field. Usually any grouse that is seen disappears between 1 to 8 seconds afterwards. :eek:
 
gb1

i dont think quail are faster than phzs. there wings are shorter, they sure do appear to fly faster than other birds, because they get up and get back on the ground. they run faster than they fly, just like phzs. phz dont want to fly unless they have to thats why, we have dogs , blockers , and flankers. imho. :)
 
1GB said:
Interesting to see that quail are supposedly faster than pheasants! Can you tell I've never hunted wild quail. :eek:
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When you're hunting quail, your shotgun has to move much faster to align with the target. It is much easier to shoot pheasants than it is quail. In terms of scale speed and accelleration, quail are faster w/o a doubt. I use blockers for pheasants b/c I don't want them running out the end. I'm sure pheasants run much faster than quail.
 
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