Following from Philip's interpretation I would make the following
prediction:
If the primary purpose (or a major benefit) of flocking tightly was to get
lift and save energy during take off, you would expect to see clear evidence
of birds clustering and positioning prior to take off (not when a predator
arrives, but perhaps when shifting locations or changing behaviours). Maybe
there is clear evidence of this, but I can't recall seeing it.
David James,
Sydney
==============================
Yes that sounds right. I have not seen that either. Many flocking birds take
off in a wave, rather than all at once or take a few steps apart before
flying. Indeed if it was not for the fact of them simply roosting together,
I think the risk of injury or interference would exceed any benefit from the
wing pressure aspect.
Philip
==============================
Is distance from the middle of a flock directly correlated with pecking
order?
Harry Battam
BE, PhD
Institute for Conservation and Environmental Management University of
Wollongong Wollongong, NSW, Australia 2522 Mobile +61 429 887 883
==============================
It could be. I don't know and wonder if anyone could know. There may be many
different answers to this, all of which may be correct, that vary according
to the species or the situation involved. I would suspect not (that is
taking pecking order as they way it is thought about in a small group of
chickens) as these situations often involve hundreds (or more) individuals
and often mixed flocks of more than one species, which would make it hard to
arrange.
Philip
==============================
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