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arXiv · 2010.01990

An all-leader agent-based model for turning and flocking birds

Emiliano Cristiani·Marta Menci·Marco Papi·Léonard Brafman
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Abstract

Starting from recent experimental observations of starlings and jackdaws, we propose a minimal agent-based mathematical model for bird flocks based on a system of second-order delayed stochastic differential equations with discontinuous (both in space and time) right-hand side. The model is specifically designed to reproduce self-organized spontaneous sudden changes of direction, not caused by external stimuli like predator's attacks. The main novelty of the model is that every bird is a potential turn initiator, thus leadership is formed in a group of indistinguishable agents. We investigate some theoretical properties of the model and we show the numerical results. Biological insights are also discussed.

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Emiliano Cristiani, Marta Menci, Marco Papi, Léonard Brafman. 2020-10-05. An all-leader agent-based model for turning and flocking birds. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00285-021-01675-2

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