Emergence of splits and collective turns in pigeon flocks under predation.

ABSTRACT: Complex patterns of collective behaviour may emerge through self-organization, from local interactions among individuals in a group. To understand what behavioural rules underlie these patterns, computational models are often necessary. These rules have not yet been systematically studied for bird flocks under predation. Here, we study airborne flocks of homing pigeons attacked by a robotic falcon, combining empirical data with a species-specific computational model of collective escape. By analysing GPS trajectories of flocking individuals, we identify two new patterns of collective escape: early splits and collective turns, occurring even at large distances from the predator. To examine their formation, we extend an agent-based model of pigeons with a 'discrete' escape manoeuvre by a sin

SUBMITTER: Papadopoulou M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8864349 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature