This is bird note.

Have you ever looked up at a flock of birds in flight and wondered?

Who's in charge?

How does the flock know which bird to follow? Recent research on

flocks of homing pigeons has shed some light on this very question.

Scientists outfitted each bird in a small flock of pigeons with a miniature backpack holding a rapid-fire GPS.

The flock was set free to fly together.

Then the scientists analyzed the GPS data from a series of flights. They found that the bird's flocking movements were governed by a pecking order.

Higher-ranked birds had more influence over how the flock moved.

Leading birds changed directions first, and followers swiftly copied the leader's movements.

And birds at the front of the flock tended to make the navigational decisions.

In other words, the pigeons follow the leader or leaders.

One expert on pigeon navigation compared the flock's behavior to that of a professional

dance troop, where the less experienced dancers in back adjusted their movements by watching the experts in front.

So the next time you look up at a flock of birds, See if you can tell who's in charge. For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.

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