Network Coordination in Flocks
Source: https://www.zmescience.com/science/how-birds-flock-02443/
In class, we learned about cascading behavior in networks. This article describes how network coordination effects also play a role in birds flocking together. Just as we have payoffs for following a certain behavior, there are benefits to birds that flock together. For example, they get protection because birds separated from the flock are more likely to be attacked by predators, or if one bird finds food, then they get to share it.
It was originally believed to be that flocking followed three basic rules: avoiding collisions with neighbors, matching the speed and direction of motion with the rest of the group, and staying near the center. Although the network models that we have looked at in class have nodes being influenced by their neighbors, it appears that the flocking behavior is more complex. Even though every pigeon has neighbors that it influences and neighbors that it is influenced by, the research shows that who influences who constantly changes during flight. One point they make is that the pigeons closer to the mass center and the average velocity are more influential. Moreover, previous research found that birds flock in unison three times faster than the potential reaction time of reacting to their immediate neighbors, which means that birds can actually anticipate sudden changes in the flock’s direction of motion. This suggests that more than just the behavior of neighbors influences the decisions the birds make while flying.
By gaining a better understanding of the birds’ flocking behavior, we can study and model other types of coordinated behaviors in networks like cells, bacteria, and insect swarms.