Comparative analysis of the cuckoo search algorithm

Abstract

Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CS) is a population based, elitist evolutionary search algorithm proposed for the solution of numerical optimization problems. Despite its wide use, the algorithmic process of CS has been scarcely studied in detail. In this chapter, the algorithmic structure of CS and its effective problem solving success have been studied. Fifty benchmark problems were used in the numerical tests performed in order to study the algorithmic behavior of CS. The success of CS in solving benchmark problems was compared with three widely used optimization algorithms (i.e., PSO, DE, and ABC) by means of Kruskal-Wallis statistical test. The search strategy of CS, which utilizes the Lèvy distribution, enables it to analyze the search space in a very successful manner. The statistical results have verified that CS has the superior problem-solving ability as a search strategy. © 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland.