鸽子等鸟类群飞时总能“步伐”一致，堪比特技表演。英国和匈牙利科研人员发现，鸽群在飞行过程中实行“民主”，所有鸽子都能参与决策，从而协调群体行为。

这项研究结果刊登于最新一期英国《自然》杂志。

共同决策

英国牛津大学和匈牙利厄特沃什大学研究人员在匈牙利首都布达佩斯联手实施这项研究。他们给10多只家养鸽子背上装有微型全球定位系统（GPS）的“背包”，然后经由这种仪器观测这群鸽子飞行时的行为。

研究人员可以明确区分鸽群中的“首领”与“跟随者”，前者通常在鸽群前端飞行，但大多数“地位较低”的“跟随者”同样可以影响群体的飞行方向。

英国《独立报》援引研究带头人、牛津大学动物学教授多拉·比罗博士的话报道，先前研究猜测，鸽群飞行方向可能由一个或者数个“首领”决定。不过，鸽群的决策制定机制实际上更为“成熟和精炼”，“每一只鸽子都能对群体行为作出某种形式的贡献”。

比罗把这种决策制定机制称作“灵活的领导体系”。这使得个体可以对群体施加影响，让鸽群飞行成为“让人惊叹的特技表演”。

权力有别

比罗认为，尽管每一只鸽子都能参与决策，但并非完全平等。

“鸽群中没有一个特定首领，但也没有那种所有鸽子都能平等‘投票’的决策制定机制。尽管每一只鸽子都能参与‘投票’，但‘投票’的分量取决于鸽子的地位，”她说。

地位较高的鸽子可以制定影响较大的决策，另外，它们所做决策比地位较低成员的决策更有分量；后者的决策只能影响等级比它们更低的成员。

原文出处：

Nature 464, 890-893 (8 April 2010) | doi:10.1038/nature08891

Hierarchical group dynamics in pigeon flocks
Máté Nagy1, Zsuzsa ákos1, Dora Biro2 & Tamás Vicsek1,3

Department of Biological Physics, E.tv.s University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1A, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
Statistical and Biological Physics Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Pázmány Péter sétány 1A, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary

Animals that travel together in groups display a variety of fascinating motion patterns thought to be the result of delicate local interactions among group members1, 2, 3. Although the most informative way of investigating and interpreting collective movement phenomena would be afforded by the collection of high-resolution spatiotemporal data from moving individuals, such data are scarce4, 5, 6, 7 and are virtually non-existent for long-distance group motion within a natural setting because of the associated technological difficulties8. Here we present results of experiments in which track logs of homing pigeons flying in flocks of up to 10 individuals have been obtained by high-resolution lightweight GPS devices and analysed using a variety of correlation functions inspired by approaches common in statistical physics. We find a well-defined hierarchy among flock members from data concerning leading roles in pairwise interactions, defined on the basis of characteristic delay times between birds’ directional choices. The average spatial position of a pigeon within the flock strongly correlates with its place in the hierarchy, and birds respond more quickly to conspecifics perceived primarily through the left eye—both results revealing differential roles for birds that assume different positions with respect to flock-mates. From an evolutionary perspective, our results suggest that hierarchical organization of group flight may be more efficient than an egalitarian one, at least for those flock sizes that permit regular pairwise interactions among group members, during which leader–follower relationships are consistently manifested.