Data for: Interspecific competition and facilitation coexist in mixed-species bird flocks of montane coniferous forests in Taiwan

Besides competition, positive interactions also play an important role in shaping the social structure of mixed-species bird flocks. This study aimed to illuminate the interspecific interactions of competition and facilitation in mixed-species bird flocks. We recorded the foraging behavior and microhabitat use of flocking species in montane coniferous forests of Taiwan under different social contexts. Foraging niche breadth and niche-overlap with other flocking species were compared between individuals inside and outside of mixed flocks. For the three microhabitat variables (foraging locations, vertical strata, and horizontal strata), relationships between niche-overlaps of heterospecific pairs of these flocking species and their corresponding interspecific associations were determined using a simple linear regression. While in mixed flocks, two understory species, Taiwan Fulvetta Fulvetta formosana and Yellowish-bellied Bush-Warbler Horornis acanthizoides, shifted their foraging from s...