G. K. Taylor

Detect+Track: Robust and flexible software tools for improved tracking and behavioural analysis of fish

The paper introduces Detect+Track, a software tool for accurate fish tracking and behavioural analysis in complex environments.

Ultra-fast micro-CT of an unrestrained live insect

This paper demonstrates ultra-fast synchrotron-based micro-CT for 3D scanning of an unrestrained live insect at micrometre resolution, showing its potential in physiology and biomechanics.

Zebra finches use brightness cues for gap selection in flight

This study shows zebra finches use brightness cues to select flight paths through tunnels, preferring bright backgrounds and exiting toward the bright side.

Gap selection and steering during obstacle avoidance in pigeons

This study investigates how pigeons select and steer through gaps during obstacle avoidance, finding that gap choice is influenced by intrinsic handedness and that steering is best modeled by delayed proportional navigation.

Obstacle avoidance in aerial pursuit

This study shows how Harris hawks avoid collisions during prey pursuit by combining continuous target feedback with discrete feedforward steering corrections.

Visual versus visual-inertial guidance in hawks pursuing terrestrial targets

This study tests if Harris hawks can use visual information alone to model their pursuit of terrestrial targets, finding that visual-only models fit data as well as visual-inertial models.

Optimization of dynamic soaring in a flap-gliding seabird and its impacts on large-scale distribution at sea

This study shows Manx Shearwaters optimize flight to harvest wind energy through fine-scale trajectory adjustments, influencing their large-scale distribution at sea.

Steering clear of the confusion effect: aerial predators target fixed points in dense prey aggregations

The paper shows that aerial predators target fixed points in dense prey aggregations rather than individual prey, simplifying their sensory demands and increasing the likelihood of confusion effects in sparse groups.

Optimization of avian perching manoeuvres

The paper shows that Harris hawks optimize perching by minimizing distance flown under hazardous conditions, not time or energy, using motion capture and flight dynamics modeling.

Through hawks' eyes: reconstructing a bird's visual field in flight to study gaze strategy and attention during perching and obstacle avoidance

The paper presents a method to analyze visual attention in flying birds by combining motion capture data with virtual camera renderings, studying visual field stabilisation and gaze shifts during perching and obstacle avoidance.

Attack behaviour in naïve Gyrfalcons is modelled by the same guidance law as in Peregrines, but at a lower guidance gain

The paper models the attack behavior of Gyrfalcons using proportional navigation guidance law with lower gain compared to Peregrines, promoting tail-chasing behavior.

Aerial attack strategies of bat-hunting hawks, and the dilution effect of swarming

This study examines how bat swarming behavior affects predation risk by hawks, finding that swarming reduces bat risk but does not hinder hawk catch success, which depends on specific aerial maneuvers.

A semi-empirical model of the aerodynamics of manoeuvring insect flight

The paper develops a blade element model for insect flight that incorporates 3D wing kinematics and empirically fits aerodynamic forces using free-flight data from hoverflies.

Motor output and control input in flapping flight: a compact model of the deforming wing kinematics of manoeuvring hoverflies

The paper analyzes wing kinematics of hoverflies using functional principal components analysis to identify control input variables in flapping flight.

Birds invest wingbeats to keep a steady head and reap the ultimate benefits of flocking

This study quantifies the biomechanical and energetic costs of flocking in homing pigeons, finding that paired flight increases route accuracy but raises aerodynamic costs by ~14%.