This
question was addressed in a very nice paper in Nature a
couple of years ago. (Nagy,
M., Akos, Z., Biro, D., and Vicsek, T. (2010). Hierarchical
group
dynamics in pigeon flocks. Nature 464: 890-893).
Apparently
there is a strict social hierarchy of leaders and followers
within pigeon flocks by which movement of the group is
coordinated. Behavioural change by just a few individual
leaders is sufficient to
initiate change in the whole group, allowing extremely rapid
collective
manouvers to be made. The average
spatial position of an individual within the flock correlates
with
its place in the leader/ follower hierarchy, birds
higher in the hierarchy are more influential in determining
the
direction of the flock’s movement, and
changes in direction by leaders are copied by followers in a
fraction
of a second. Presumably a similar mechanism operates in
Starling, Budgeriagar, etc flocks.
Daryl
On 18/08/2012 8:38 AM, Sue-Ellen and
Ray wrote:
Good morning all – An issue that has intrigued me for
some time now is the habit of these birds to congregate in
large groups adopting a circular (roughly) flight path
within a relatively narrow bandwidth which continues for
what seems to be a long time. I have noted this occurs at
about the same time each day as I do my morning stroll
through Lyneham.
Could anyone throw any light on this characteristic of
the maligned feral pigeon which now carries the much more
respected name of Rock Dove.
Ray Comer
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