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Mixed-species foraging flock
Swarming behaviour of birds when foraging / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while foraging.[1] These are different from feeding aggregations, which are congregations of several species of bird at areas of high food availability.
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While it is currently unknown how mixed-species foraging flocks originate, researchers have proposed a few mechanisms for their initiation. Many believe that nuclear species play a vital role in mixed-species flock initiation.[2] Additionally, the forest structure is hypothesized to play a vital role in these flocks' formation.[3] In Sri Lanka, for example, vocal mimicry by the greater racket-tailed drongo might have a key role in the initiation of mixed-species foraging flocks,[4] while in parts of the American tropics packs of foraging golden-crowned warblers might play the same role.[5]