Starling flocks’ smooth flight paths likened to fluid flow

Science : The collective motion of a flock of starlings in flight has now been studied in depth, thanks to high-speed cameras, tracking software, and mathematical modeling. Watching video of flocks of the birds flying around a train station, researchers were able to pinpoint which individuals decided to turn and then watch the way directional change swept through the rest of the flock. The researchers found that decisions to change direction travel through a flock at a constant speed, which allows the birds to turn in near unison. It is to the birds’ advantage, the researchers say, to fly in alignment because it allows them to maneuver more rapidly and better elude predators. The starlings’ flight has been likened to the flow of superfluid helium, and similar physics and mathematical principles may pertain to other types of groups, such as schools of fish or clusters of moving cells.