The formation of “mega-flocks” depends on vegetation structure in montane coniferous forests of Taiwan

A mixed-species bird flock is a social assemblage where two or more bird species are moving together while foraging and might benefit from increased foraging efficiency and antipredator vigilance. A “mega-flock,” which includes flocking species from different vegetation strata, often exhibits high species diversity. Mechanisms for the formation of mega-flocks have not yet been explored. In this study, we evaluated the influence of vegetation structure and bird species diversity in driving the occurrence of mega-flocks. We investigated the composition of mixed-species flocks, local bird communities, and vegetation structure in five vegetation types of two high-elevation sites in central Taiwan. Mega-flocks occurred more frequently in pine woodland than later successional stages of coniferous forests. However, species richness/diversity of local bird communities increased along successional stages. Therefore, vegetation variables exhibit more influence on the occurrence of mega-flocks than local bird communities. Besides foliage height diversity, understory coverage also showed positive effects on flock size of mixed-species flocks. Our results indicated that pine woodlands with more evenly distributed vegetation layers could facilitate the interactions of canopy and understory flocks and increase the formation of mega-flocks and thus the complexity of mixed-species flocks.