Hawks steer attacks using a guidance system tuned for close pursuit of erratically manoeuvring targets

Abstract

Aerial predators adopt a variety of different hunting styles, with divergent flight morphologies typically adapted either to high-speed interception or manoeuvring through clutter, but how are their sensorimotor systems tuned in relation to habitat structure and prey behavior? Falcons intercept prey at high-speed using the same proportional navigation guidance law as homing missiles. This classical guidance law works well in the open, but performs sub-optimally against highly-manoeuvrable targets, and may not produce a feasible path through the cluttered environments frequented by hawks and other raptors. Here we identify the guidance law of n = 5 Harris’ Hawks Parabuteo unicinctus chasing erratically manoeuvring artificial targets. Harris’ Hawks use a mixed guidance law, coupling low-gain proportional navigation with a low-gain proportional pursuit element. This guidance law promotes tail-chasing and is not thrown off by erratic manoeuvres, making it well suited to the hawks’ natural hunting style, involving close pursuit of agile prey through clutter.