ABSTRACT Most studies examining dominance hierarchies have focused at the intraspecific level. While some examples of interspecific hierarchies have been noted, these have usually been limited to a few species in the same taxonomic group that utilize resources in similar ways. Here, we examine evidence for dominance interference competition among vertebrates comprising a diverse frugivore community, including 19 species of birds, squirrels, and primates in a mature Central African rainforest. A total of 38 fruiting trees from 18 species were observed for 2058 h to record dominance interactions between foraging vertebrates. We show that interference competition occurs within and between taxonomically diverse species of vertebrates at fruiting trees. The resulting cross‐taxonomic dominance hierarchy includes larger vertebrates, such as primates and hornbills, as well as smaller ones, such as squirrels and parrots. Within this hierarchy, the dominance rank of each species is highly correlated with body mass, and is shown to significantly affect the number of fruits removed from a given tree. Because a majority of tropical tree species depend on vertebrates to disperse their seeds, and particular vertebrates may preferentially disperse the seeds of specific tree species, results may have important conservation implications for the maintenance of tree diversity in regions where populations of larger frugivores have been depressed or extirpated.