It would suck to be a duck ...

... or a goose or a blackbird and have a real lousy leader. You know it happens just as it happens with us humans. It simply has to be.
   So how do these flocks end up with blockheads who fly them into jet engines or straight into the pavement?
   Is it as simple as blindness or as perverse as suicidal?
   I don't know but I am interested as who gets to decide who the leader will be: Does he have the biggest or the sharpest beak? Did he inherit the 'flight commander' status from daddy? Or is he perceived as the one with the best sense of direction or can name all the capitals of the states?
  No matter what the criteria, I fear our feathered friends do not enjoy a 'one bird, one vote' kinda lifestyle and could be stuck in a farged-up flock should their leader prefer munching on elderberries and chasing tail rather than focusing on the flight plan.
  And is it possible for flocks to ever leave their leader? Do one or two say, "WTF, we're outta here," and go join another bird group? Or does the whole flock decide to silently get up one morning and fly off before the leader's alarm goes off? (Maybe these are the flocks that end up nosediving into the pavement.)
   Dunno.
   But apparently hordes of Tunisians have booted their high flying leader and chased him out of the country while our Italian friends have had enough of their flighty, bird-brained premier and are seemingly keen to cage him.
   Perhaps if the birds keep an eye on these peeps they'll learn a thing or two how to deal with who's in charge.