Biology
The Role of Flocking Behavior in Predator Detection and Dilution
Quick fact
In a large flock, an individual bird can reduce its own vigilance time dramatically—from about 40% of its time to less than 10%—while the group as a whole still detects predators just as well, thanks to the many-eyes effect.
Why this is interesting
A flock of starlings wheels in the sky, moving as one—but why do they bother? Is there safety in numbers, or is it just chaos?