system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When a large flock of birds take flight suddenly (ex. if they're startled) how do they know where to go instead of flying off in all directions?
gpt
Lots of birds have a very simple flight algorithm, typically " fly parallel to one side and slightly behind the one next to you". That's why you get "V" shaped skeins of geese for example. So even if there is no one leader, groups keep together, wheel, merge and divide but still all roughly do the same thing.