Like the title says. I know Falcons and raptors can dive at 200+ mph. So when they spread their wings to slow down how do they handle the insane force that they would be experiencing?
In: 160
A peregrine falcon only weighs about 2 lbs. The forces on a 2 lb bird are just not that high compared to the strength of their body. And if you watch videos of them attacking, they seem to have leveled out a bit before the actual strike. In this video, at about the 2:10 mark, you can see the falcon who has leveled out, and the kill strike is actually horizontal, so it should beg going much slower that 200mph at this time. The 200mph dive is just used to perform an ambush.
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