Density distributions and depth in flocks

Abstract

Recent experimental evidence suggests that interactions in flocks of birds do not involve a characteristic length scale. Bird flocks have also been revealed to have an inhomogeneous density distribution, with the density of birds near the border greater than near the centre. We introduce a strictly metric-free model for collective behaviour that incorporates a distributed motional bias, providing control of the density distribution. A simple version of this model is then able to provide a good fit to published data for the density variation across flocks of Starlings. We find that it is necessary for individuals on the edge of the flock to have an inward motional bias but that birds in the interior of the flock instead must have an outward bias. We discuss the ability of individuals to determine their depth within a flock and show how this might be achieved by relatively simple analysis of their visual environment.