Saw this article on ABC on-line...of course one has to take into account that
it might not take a great deal to be a pigeon that is slightly smarter than
one’s peers...
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-26/pigeon-flocks-lead-with-speed/6973036
Leading a flock is not a popularity contest if you're a pigeon: instead flocks
follow fast flyers that know their way around, a new study has found.
Many birds travel in flocks, but the question of how they choose the leader has
long puzzled scientists.
Now a team of researchers led by Mr Benjamin Pettit from Oxford University
think they have the answer.
They fitted four flocks of 10 homing pigeons with small data logging backpacks
and sent them on a series of group and solo flights.
These tracked not only the birds' skill in making a beeline for home, but also
measured their ability to influence the flock's direction by recording the
fractional time delays it takes one bird to react to another when flying
together.
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