how high do falcons fly?

Question

my mom wants to know cause she saw birds really high up in the sky higher then average bird level and she wanted to know if they where falcons cause she thinks they are known to fly really high. my mom saw these high flying birds in Jamesville NY if that helps.

Answer 1

Most likely a Peregrine Falcon. However, Eagles are also quite the high flyers.

Answer 2

Most birds fly below 500 feet except during migration. There is no reason to expend the energy to go higher -- and there may be dangers, such as exposure to higher winds or to the sharp vision of hawks. When migrating, however, birds often do climb to relatively great heights, possibly to avoid dehydration in the warmer air near the ground. Migrating birds in the Caribbean are mostly observed around 10,000 feet, although some are found half and some twice that high. Generally long-distance migrants seem to start out at about 5,000 feet and then progressively climb to around 20,000 feet. Just like jet aircraft, the optimum cruise altitude of migrants increases as their "fuel" is used up and their weight declines. Vultures sometimes rise over 10,000 feet in order to scan larger areas for food (and to watch the behavior of distant vultures for clues to the location of a feast). Perhaps the most impressive altitude record is that of a flock of Whooper Swans which was seen on radar arriving over Northern Ireland on migration and was visually identified by an airline pilot at 29,000 feet. Birds can fly at altitudes that would be impossible for bats, since bird lungs can extract a larger fraction of oxygen from the air than can mammal lungs.

Answer 3

Don't know for sure, and can't seem to find a website that lists birds flying altitudes. But the site listed below states this: (Doesn't mention a Maximum altitude for the Falcon though, so who knows what the bird was that your mom saw)

The Peregrine Falcon is a very fast flier, averaging 40-55 km/h (25-34 mph) in traveling flight, and reaching speeds up to 112 km/h (69 mph) in direct pursuit of prey. During its spectacular hunting stoop from heights of over 1 km (0.62 mi), the peregrine may reach speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph) as it drops toward its prey.

Answer 4

Birds generally fly below 500 feet, except during migration when they can reach heights of around 20,000 feet. They tend to fly higher during migration because it expends less energy and possibly because they are less likely to get dehydrated due to the dry, thin air.

Answer 5

Depends on how high the thermal takes them. If the cloud ceiling is at 18,000 feet, I see no reason why a falcon can't get up that high.

Answer 6

How high is the sky
I don't really know the distance

Answer 7

very very high