What Are The Slowest Birds In The World? (On Land, Level Flight + More)

If you were asked to name a bird that flies or runs very fast, you might think of a peregrine or swift, or even an ostrich or roadrunner. But which birds are at the other end of the scale for speed?

Read on as we investigate the slowest birds in the world.

American and Eurasian woodcocks have the honor of being recognized as the slowest birds in the world, having been recorded flying at “sloth” speeds of 8 km/h (5 mph) during courtship displays.

Closeup of American Woodcock

Several New World condors are the kings (and queens) of slow-motion flight in terms of the number of flaps per second, with just one flap per second. The same slow flapping speed allows owls to hunt silently and move through the night sky almost undetected.

While some birds are well-adapted to streamlined, high-speed flight, their ability to move over land is unimpressive, and in some cases non-existent.

Swifts, for example, are specialists in aerial flight, capable of flying at high altitudes at superfast speeds for weeks or longer. But on land, the situation is different. In rare cases, these birds can become stranded, making it impossible for them to use their legs to walk to safety or re-launch.

Read on to learn more about the birds, which, while moving gracefully in the sky overhead, weren’t built to fly at any speed on solid ground.

Swifts are extremely fast in the air, but on the ground it’s a different story

What is the slowest bird in level flight?

Both the American woodcock (Scolopax minor) and the Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) have been recorded in level flight at speeds of 8 km/h (5 mph).

Sandpipers are known for their unique courtship “sky dance”, in which they slowly climb into the night sky in large, almost lazy flying circles, then roll irregularly to the ground in a zigzag spiral, and then start performing again.

Also affectionately known as timberdoodles, American woodcocks are masters of camouflage, blending into their woodland environment so much that they are almost impossible to spot among the leaf litter on the forest floor.

They have stout, plump bodies and exceptionally short wings, an adaptation that helps them navigate their natural habitats of woodlands and meadows; their physical design means fast-paced, graceful flight is impossible.

While migrating, however, American woodcocks do seem to be able to pick up the pace, recording speeds of 26 to 45 km/h (16 to 28 mph), but they will remain at relatively low altitudes.

Eurasian woodcock on winter ground

What is the slowest bird on land?

The ostrich is the fastest land bird in the world, reaching speeds of 70 km/h (45 mph), but which species claims the record as the slowest?

Some birds are not adapted to moving on the ground rather than in the air, and will not have much difficulty moving even a few centimeters.

A classic example is the swift, which has underdeveloped legs and feet and cannot walk if it lands. Kingfishers and hummingbirds are other birds that cannot walk on land but can fly with ease and grace when in the air.

Hummingbirds are able to roost for short periods of time and can grasp small branches along which they “sideways”. However, since they have no knee joints, walking on land is impossible, and if they do find themselves landing, they can only move by dragging.

Loons and grebes find it nearly physically impossible to walk on land. Their legs are adapted for swimming rather than running or walking, and are located at the back of the body, making walking very awkward. So they avoid going ashore if they can avoid it.

The position of the lazy legs makes it nearly impossible for them to walk on land

What is the slowest owl?

Owls are stealthy predators, relying on their near silent flight to hunt without attracting the attention of their prey. It flits deftly across the night sky, making barely a sound.

The owl’s wings are large relative to its weight, which means it can fly slowly — a slow rate of about 2 flaps per second means less noise during flight because there are fewer wing flaps involved.

Larger species, such as barn owls, are especially well suited to this “slow-motion” flying technique. Typical flight speeds are 16 to 32 km/h (10 to 20 mph) when hunting prey, but can reach considerable speeds in level flight.

Data on average flight speeds for small owl species, including burrowing owls and lesser owls, are lacking.

Barn owls often hunt at low speed

What is the slowest eagle?

The average speed of an eagle in level flight is between 25 and 80 km/h (16 and 50 mph). When swooping down on prey, they can reach a top dive speed of 190 km/h (120 mph).

Generally speaking, the smaller the eagle, the closer to the lower limit of this level, and the larger the eagle, the faster the flying speed.

One of the smaller hawk species, the sparrow hawk does not fly as fast or as efficiently as the red-tailed or cooper’s hawk. While both raptors can usually fly at about 80 km/h (50 mph) in normal flight, the sparrowhawk lags behind, with a maximum speed of about 50 km/h (30 mph).

North America’s smallest resident hawk, Sharp-shinned hawks have been recorded flying at an even slower speed of 25 km/h (16 mph).

The razor-sharp hawk is one of the slower hawk species in the United States

What is the slowest eagle?

Eagles are capable of high speeds, but can also glide and soar at much slower speeds.

Golden eagles, bald eagles, Steller’s eagles and White-tailed eagles fly at about the same speed in level flight, generally not exceeding 45 to 50 km/h (28 to 31 mph).

When swooping down on prey, golden eagles can reach a maximum speed of about 322 km/h (200 mph) in a near-vertical dive. Steppe eagles are also expert high-speed divers, having been observed swooping down on their prey at speeds of up to 300 km/h (186 mph). Steller sea eagles are somewhat slower, capable of diving to the ground at about 225 km/h (140 mph).

In contrast, the bald eagle’s top dive speed is much slower, up to half the dive speed of the golden eagle, at 160 km/h (100 mph). This is a similar diving speed to that of a white-tailed sea eagle.

Bald eagles are a lot slower than golden eagles in diving, however, they’re still not slow!

What is the slowest penguin?

Little penguins are the slowest penguin species, swimming at about 2.5 km/h (1.6 mph). This is in stark contrast to Adélie penguins, which have been observed swimming at speeds of 30 to 40 km/h (18.6 to 24.8 mph) for short bursts, and emperor penguins, which average 10.8 km/h ( 6.7 mph). On ice or land, penguins can travel at speeds of 2.7 to 3.8 km/h (1.7 to 2.4 mph).