“What’s fascinating is that these highly structured, seemingly purposeful formations might actually be the result of very simple interaction rules,” said Rothamsted’s Andy Reynolds, who conducted the analysis. “The sharpness of the border and the persistence of edge birds aren’t necessarily deliberate strategies. They’re just what happens when the system runs on topological interactions.”The study adds to a growing body of evidence that complex group behaviors—from fish schools to insect swarms—can arise from surprisingly minimalist rules. It also raises questions about how much of animal group behavior is shaped by evolution, and how much simply falls out of physics and geometry.
Why birds on the edge stay there: Study sheds light on murmuration mysteries
This should feed Steve’s fascination with murmurations.