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Some species of European bats are known to attack birds as they migrate to Africa. However, they must trap them while in flight: a hard task for such small predators.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The behaviour has previously been a mystery to researchers, who were unsure of how the bats could pull off such a complicated manoeuvre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But a new study, published<\/a> in Science, offers a window into how these bats do it: with pictures and sounds to prove it.\u00a0<\/p>\n The bats and the birds<\/p>\n Each year, billions of passerine birds migrate<\/a> during the night from Europe to Africa. Travelling in large flocks, they\u2019re an apt target for bats<\/a>. Three echolocating bat species, including the greater noctule bat, are known to prey on these flocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n These birds are travelling over long distances and at high altitudes. Capturing prey in these conditions is not an easy feat.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not a very common hunting style and it had never been observed before,\u201d says Ilias Foskolos, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford and one of the authors of the study alongside other international researchers, including Do\u00f1ana Biological Station\u2019s Elena Tena L\u00f3pez and Laura Stidsholt of Aarhus University.\u00a0<\/p>\n The only evidence of bat preying behaviour has been from bird remains, like feathers, and bat faeces. That is, until these researchers stepped in.<\/p>\n The only place in the world where there is a relatively big colony of this species is Do\u00f1ana National Park<\/a>, near Sevilla, Spain. There, the researchers fitted the bats with high-resolution biologging tags. <\/p>\n These high-tech devices record altitude, echolocation, 3D movement, and tracked the bats\u2019 hunting behaviour.\u00a0<\/p>\n A glimpse into predator behaviour<\/p>\n This study marks the first time that this behaviour has been documented. During the observation period, the researchers identified two notable attacks. As part of its attack<\/a>, the bats climbed above 400 metres before spotting prey. They then picked up speed and turned downwards to pursue their target, using echolocation<\/a> to help them make the final catch.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although one of the attacks was not successful, the researchers were able to document a successful capture of a European robin<\/a>, confirmed through audio of the bird\u2019s distress call. The bat captured, bit, and ate its prey for 23 minutes, all without losing altitude.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis suggests that the bats, while in flight, remove the wings to immobilise their prey, reduce drag, and ease prey handling \u2013 a technique reminiscent of aerial-hawking strategies used for capturing large insects,\u201d the authors write.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPure natural history\u201d<\/p>\n Foskolos describes the behaviour as \u201cmind-blowing\u201d. As he explains, it\u2019s a very impressive hunting technique, especially for such a small predator<\/a>. Bats weigh about 30 grams, and these birds weigh 15 grams.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe predator prey size ratio for these animals is quite small because the predator is not very much bigger than the bird, so doing this while in flight is insane,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n He hopes that they can continue tagging<\/a> to further observe the bat\u2019s behaviour, as well as how different individuals may handle their prey. He also says these technologies<\/a> can be applied to observe similar behaviours in other animals.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pure natural history, and highlights that there are many impressive hunting behaviours waiting to be discovered,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are so many things that we don’t know and with the right technology we could get a glimpse.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ADVERTISEMENT Some species of European bats are known to attack birds as they migrate to Africa. 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