Boids & Starlings

A murmuration is the swirling, shape-shifting flight of thousands of starlings at dusk. There is no leader, rather coherence emerges from each bird reacting to its closest neighbors.

This simulation uses Craig Reynolds' boids algorithm. Each agent follows three rules:

1. Separation (avoid crowding)
2. Alignment (match neighbor heading)
3. Cohesion (steer toward neighbor center)

Real starlings track ~7 nearest neighbors regardless of distance. That fixed count is why turning waves cross the flock so fast and stay crisp at any density.

This simulation doesn't come close to the real thing, and I would highly recommend taking a few minutes to see it

Audio credits: Starlings in Winter by Mary Oliver