Robert Musters

University of Groningen, nLIGHT (United States)

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Robert Musters is a behavioral ecologist whose research focuses on collective animal behavior, predator-prey dynamics, and the role of individual personality in group coordination. His most cited work, “Absence of ‘selfish herd’ dynamics in bird flocks under threat” (2021, 68 citations), challenges a long-standing theoretical assumption by demonstrating that birds in flocks do not simply seek central positions to reduce predation risk, reshaping our understanding of collective escape strategies. Musters is also known for pioneering the use of a robotic falcon (RobotFalcon) to study naturalistic predator-prey interactions, as detailed in his 2024 paper (13 citations), which shows that different bird species exhibit similar collective escape responses to a common aerial threat—a methodological breakthrough that overcomes the limitations of uncontrolled field studies. His most recent work (2025, 3 citations) explores how personality composition within homing pigeon groups affects cohesion under novelty and predation threat, linking individual variation to group-level outcomes. With an innovative blend of robotics, field experiments, and behavioral theory, Musters is advancing our understanding of how animal groups navigate danger and make collective decisions.