While humans find it difficult to avoid colliding with each other when meeting in crowded streets, flocks of different birds fly in the air and do not collide when they meet, no matter how large their numbers are.
In a study in which scientists used parrot birds, it was found that almost all individuals of their different species turn to the right during flight when they see what is in their path. Experts say this consistent behavior is very important, because "random patterns between individuals would be inappropriate, as they would lead to 50 percent collisions."
Another interesting observation that scientists have made is the reaction speed of birds, which have continued to evolve over 150 million years. It has been shown that they can detect a potential collision and make the necessary correction in a time of 0.42 seconds.
Among other striking things that experts have observed is the huge flocks of starlings that appear in the air, forming amazing acrobatic formations, that may collide periodically, but in a way that they sometimes touch without being harmed.
Scientists point out that individual birds in flocks are good at anticipating changes in the direction of flight, and they understand when and how to change, and each bird in the flock not only sees the bird closest to it, but rather puts all the birds in its field of vision.
Each bird reacts to such situations in flight in a way similar to falling dominoes. Since all birds have the same rapid reaction time, they can successfully maintain the same position for the entire group, and for neighboring birds when the flock changes direction.
This happens, according to experts, because the birds' reaction is innate. However, it is not 100% perfect, because some birds touch, but they often do not collide in a catastrophic way, because the path is corrected instantly, quickly and easily, in only a fraction of a second.
In this context, experts also point out that birds in the sky, when viewed from a distance, appear closer to each other than they actually are.
Mandyam Srinivasan, a professor at the University of Queensland in Australia, believes that birds were able to develop a collision-free flight strategy under the influence of a long-term evolutionary process.
This specialized scientist pointed out that experiments on parrot birds showed that these birds always deviate to the right, to avoid what faces them during their flight, which helped smooth their movement, pointing out that during 120 practical experiments, not even a single collision occurred between the birds.
In addition to moving to the right to avoid birds colliding with each other, unlike bees whose swarm members deviate when they face to the left, birds sometimes also change their height.
Scientists still do not know what influences birds to choose the appropriate height during operations to avoid collisions with each other. Australian scientist Srinivasan believes that the hierarchy of birds in the flock may influence this issue.
An Italian physicist named Andrea Cavagna discovered the existence of an advanced system for mutual communication between starlings. It turns out that an individual of this type of bird can, in a fraction of a second, send a signal to other starlings, directing the entire flock away from a bird or predator or to overcome an obstacle.
Scientists have not revealed all the secrets of birds' movement in the air, especially their individual rotation and change of direction during their flight. In this regard, there are so far only guesses and various opinions, for which scientific data is still lacking.
Humans take advantage of birds' innate flying prowess in developing various aviation industries. On the other hand, small and large birds collide with various aircraft, especially at low altitudes, and giant aircraft engines also suck up the birds and crush them. At the same time these wonderful beings continue to provide us with keys to secrets.
Riveting.
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