Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.
Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
Nat Ecol Evol. 2022 Aug;6(8):1221-1230. doi: 10.1038/s41559-022-01800-4. Epub 2022 Jun 30.
Animal collective motion is a natural phenomenon readily observable in various taxa. Although theoretical models can predict the macroscopic pattern of group movements based on the relative spatial position of group members, it is poorly understood how group members exchange directional information, which enables the spatial coordination between individuals during collective motion. To test if vocalizations emitted during flocking flight are used by birds to transmit directional information between group members, we recorded vocal behaviour, head orientation and spatial position of each individual in a small flock of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) flying in a wind tunnel. We found that the finches can use both visual and acoustic cues for three-dimensional flock coordination. When visual information is insufficient, birds can increasingly exploit active vocal communication to avoid collisions with flock mates. Our study furthers the mechanistic understanding of collective motion in birds and highlights the impact interindividual vocal interactions can have on group performances in these animals.
动物集体运动是一种在各种生物类群中都能轻易观察到的自然现象。尽管理论模型可以根据群体成员的相对空间位置来预测群体运动的宏观模式，但对于群体成员如何交换方向信息，从而在集体运动中实现个体之间的空间协调，我们还知之甚少。为了测试鸟类在群体飞行过程中发出的叫声是否用于在群体成员之间传递方向信息，我们在一个小型斑马雀（Taeniopygia guttata）群体飞行的风洞中记录了每个个体的叫声行为、头部方向和空间位置。我们发现，这些雀类可以使用视觉和听觉线索来进行三维的群体协调。当视觉信息不足时，鸟类可以越来越多地利用主动发声交流来避免与同伴碰撞。我们的研究进一步深入了解了鸟类集体运动的机制，并强调了个体间发声相互作用对这些动物群体表现的影响。
