Competition theory predicts that communities at small spatial scales should consist of species more dissimilar than expected by chance. We find a strikingly different pattern in a multi-continent dataset (55 presence-absence matrices from 24 locations) on the composition of mixed-species bird flocks, important subunits of local bird communities the world over. Using null models and randomization tests followed by meta-analysis, we find the association strength of species in flocks to be strongly related to similarity in body size and foraging behavior, and higher for congeneric compared with non-congeneric species pairs. Given the small spatial scale of our individual analyses, differences in habitat preferences of species are unlikely to have caused these association patterns; therefore, the patterns are most likely the outcome of species interactions. Extending group-living and social information use theory to a heterospecific context, we discuss potential behavioral mechanisms leading to positive interactions among similar species in flocks as well as ways in which competition costs are reduced. Our findings highlight the need to consider positive interactions along with competition when seeking to explain community assembly.

datafiles_Sridhar_et_al_2012