The effect of group size on mean food intake rate in birds

A description of the relationship between mean food intake rate (MFIR) and group size is important in assessing the adaptiveness of group living in animals. Several hypotheses argue that foraging in groups can be beneficial in terms of MFIR but an overall assessment of the evidence available thus far was lacking. I examined this relationship in birds using studies that provided a measure of MFIR in groups of different sizes and evaluated the...