Collective turns in jackdaw flocks: kinematics and information transfer.

ABSTRACT: The rapid, cohesive turns of bird flocks are one of the most vivid examples of collective behaviour in nature, and have attracted much research. Three-dimensional imaging techniques now allow us to characterize the kinematics of turning and their group-level consequences in precise detail. We measured the kinematics of flocks of wild jackdaws executing collective turns in two contexts: during transit to roosts and anti-predator mobbing. All flocks reduced their speed during turns, probably because of constraints on individual flight capability. Turn rates increased with the angle of the turn so that the time to complete turns remained constant. We also find that context may alter where turns are initiated in the flocks: for transit flocks in the absence of predators, initiators were locate

SUBMITTER: Ling H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6833319 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature