Rakesh Sharma
11-02-2010, 01:54 PM
Flocking behavior
Flocking behavior is the behavior exhibited when a group of birds, called a flock, are foraging or in flight. There are parallels with the shoaling behavior of fish, the swarming behavior of insects, and herd behavior of land animals.
birds also flock together because there is safety in numbers and smaller birds working together can fight off larger birds, as well as enjoy the economic and efficient aerodynamic advantage. Of course very strong birds of prey do not need to flock together because they have the strength and agility on their own to protect themselves. Likewise they are generally adapted hunters and can easily get a meal to give them more energy anytime they are hungry.
Some of the reasons birds flock together and other birds do not flock has to do with Evolution and Breeding. The stronger birds will survive and be able to feed their offspring better because they are better hunters and their offspring will grow up stronger and pass on those genes more often.
Smaller weak birds which do not flock together may not survive to have offspring because they will become a larger bird's meal. Smaller birds that flock together and use the herd mentality to protect themselves have a better chance of having more offspring and more mates to choose from.
A flock is a group of birds conducting flocking behavior in flight, or while foraging. The term is akin to the herd amongst mammals. The benefits of aggregating in flocks are varied and flocks will form explicitly for specific purposes. Flocking also has costs, particularly to socially subordinate birds, which are bullied by more dominant birds; birds may also sacrifice feeding efficiency in a flock in order to gain other benefits. The principal benefits are safety in numbers and increased foraging efficiency. Defense against predators is particularly important in closed habitats such as forests where predation is often by ambush and early warning provided by multiple eyes is important, this has led to the development of many mixed-species feeding flocks.
Flocking rules
Basic models of flocking behavior are controlled by three simple rules:
Separation - avoid crowding neighbors (short range repulsion)
Alignment - steer towards average heading of neighbors
Cohesion - steer towards average position of neighbors (long range attraction)
With these three simple rules, the flock moves in an extremely realistic way, creating complex motion and interaction that would be extremely hard to create otherwise.
Flocking behavior is the behavior exhibited when a group of birds, called a flock, are foraging or in flight. There are parallels with the shoaling behavior of fish, the swarming behavior of insects, and herd behavior of land animals.
birds also flock together because there is safety in numbers and smaller birds working together can fight off larger birds, as well as enjoy the economic and efficient aerodynamic advantage. Of course very strong birds of prey do not need to flock together because they have the strength and agility on their own to protect themselves. Likewise they are generally adapted hunters and can easily get a meal to give them more energy anytime they are hungry.
Some of the reasons birds flock together and other birds do not flock has to do with Evolution and Breeding. The stronger birds will survive and be able to feed their offspring better because they are better hunters and their offspring will grow up stronger and pass on those genes more often.
Smaller weak birds which do not flock together may not survive to have offspring because they will become a larger bird's meal. Smaller birds that flock together and use the herd mentality to protect themselves have a better chance of having more offspring and more mates to choose from.
A flock is a group of birds conducting flocking behavior in flight, or while foraging. The term is akin to the herd amongst mammals. The benefits of aggregating in flocks are varied and flocks will form explicitly for specific purposes. Flocking also has costs, particularly to socially subordinate birds, which are bullied by more dominant birds; birds may also sacrifice feeding efficiency in a flock in order to gain other benefits. The principal benefits are safety in numbers and increased foraging efficiency. Defense against predators is particularly important in closed habitats such as forests where predation is often by ambush and early warning provided by multiple eyes is important, this has led to the development of many mixed-species feeding flocks.
Flocking rules
Basic models of flocking behavior are controlled by three simple rules:
Separation - avoid crowding neighbors (short range repulsion)
Alignment - steer towards average heading of neighbors
Cohesion - steer towards average position of neighbors (long range attraction)
With these three simple rules, the flock moves in an extremely realistic way, creating complex motion and interaction that would be extremely hard to create otherwise.