How to ride in a bunch

[Eleri]

... well kind of. Today I was reading a paper on collective impact and complexity science. My interest is in the measurement of social indicators in the first instance and this was about emergent solutions and how to identify them. But then I thought, this example is pretty much what a well functioning bunch feels like.

...a key tenet of addressing complex problems is to focus on creating effective rules for interaction. These rules ensure alignment among participants that increases the likelihood of emergent solutions leading to the intended goal. Consider, for example, how flocks of birds are able to demonstrate such amazing coordination and alignment, with thousands of independent bodies that move as one, reacting together in nanoseconds to changes in geography, topography, wind currents, and potential predators. Scientists have discovered that just three simple rules govern their interaction: maintain a minimum distance from your neighbor; fly at the same speed as your neighbor; and always turn towards the center. All three rules are essential for flocking. When they are in place, it is as if all birds collectively “see” what each bird sees and “respond” as each bird responds.

[Colin Campbell]

A very astute observation. I assume the fastest birds deliberately slow up to avoid being out front and vulnerable. Are the slowest birds subject to natural selection (dropped) or protected by another inclusive mechanism (best to have others behind you)? The slowest may not be able to satisfy the first 2 rules and cannot satisfy the last!?

I have always thought the bunch calls sound like crows or gulls! I now know why.