Yellow-winged bat
Encyclopedia
The Yellow-winged bat is one of five species of false vampire bat (family Megadermatidae
) from Africa
.
The bat has a well-developed frontal expansion of the skull with prominent postorbital processes. Male bats have glands on the lower back that excretes a yellowish substance which discolors the area around it and may give males their sweet, spicy smell. Females have false nipples near the anus which are used by the young to hold on to.
, Burkina Faso
, Burundi
, Cameroon
, Central African Republic
, Chad
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
, Ivory Coast, Eritrea
, Ethiopia
, Gabon
, Gambia, Ghana
, Guinea-Bissau
, Kenya
, Malawi
, Mali
, Niger
, Nigeria
, Rwanda
, Senegal
, Sierra Leone
, Somalia
, Sudan
, Tanzania
, Togo
, Uganda
, and Zambia
. The bat mostly lives in riparian habitats in low-lying woodland and savannah in elevations of less than 2,000m. It can be found in forest or open habitat, particularly in low braches of acacia tree and thorn bushes along rivers, swamps and lakes. This bat tends to fly close to and over rivers and open water. It prefer to live in areas were the vegetation is not very dense, where it can have a greater view of its surroundings. The yellow-winged bat primarily roosts in small trees and shrubs. It can also be found roosting in trees cavities and buildings. Bats use primary and peripheral roost trees. The primary roost tree is where bats return in the morning and meet before foraging in the evening. Bats make short flights between primary and peripheral roost trees. These flight s are frequent on hot days, possibly because the bats are looking for shade. Long flight are less common and are more often made in the heat of midday.
Unlike other false vampire bats, the yellow-winged bat feeds only on insects and not small vertebrates. It will feed on both soft- and hard-bodied insects. Bats have been recorded feeding on termites, scarab beetles, orthopterans, lepidopterans and dipterans. The size of prey ranges from very small to relatively large. The yellow-winged bat is a sit-and-wait predator that hangs from low branches and listens for prey on the ground. It then approaches and attacks the prey in short flights. It is possible that the bat has an exclusive feeding niche, since it has a unique foraging style and the time and place of foraging does not overlap with other bats in the area. This species likely has high predation pressure due to its coloration, roosting habits and activity during both day and night. Nevertheless, the bat is alert during the day. Predators include mambas
, bat hawks
, night tree vipers
and common kestrels
.
The exact time in which the yellow-winged bat reproduces, can vary by region. It gives birth at the end of the dry season in October in Zambia, while at Lake Baringo in Kenya, it typically gives birth at the beginning of the so-called long rains in April, which extend until June. The gestation period lasts around 3 months with a single young being born. For the first several weeks, the young clings tightly to its mother even during foraging. Soon, the young is left at the roost for around a week and begins to fly alone. The young practices flying by flapping its wings while clinging its feet to its mother’s neck. Newly Volant young will forage with their and soon develop a foraging performance that closely resembles that of their parents. Young are weaned 20 day after their first solo flight. Until around 50 days after its first flight, a young will live in its parent’s territory, synchronize its grooming and foraging periods with them and periodically huddle against its mother when roosting.
The yellow-winged bat emits search-phase echolocation calls and at least three social calls that can be heard by humans. The echolocation calls is a short, low-intensity broadband calls that give the bat information on close objects. The three main types of social calls are made before or during aggression, copulation or interactions between mothers and offspring.
Megadermatidae
Megadermatidae, or False Vampire Bats, are a family of bats found from central Africa, eastwards through southern Asia, and into Australia. They are relatively large bats, ranging from 6.5 cm to 14 cm in head-body length. They have large eyes, very large ears and a prominent nose-leaf. They have a...
) from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Description
The yellow-winged bat has a total length of 58-80 mm and a body weight of 28-36 g. Females tend to be slightly larger than males. The wingspan averages 36 cm. This species has a long pelage that is pearl grey or slaty gray, often greenish-yellow posteriorly in males and on the underparts. As its name suggests, the bat has wings that are reddish-yellow which is also the color of its other membranes as well as its noseleaf and ears. The membranes are largely hairless although fur exists sparsely on the upper arms. The ears are fairly long and contain a divided tragus that is relatively spiky. The noseleaf is long and broad with a bluntly truncated tip. The eyes are also relativity large. Although the yellow-winged bat has a well developed interfemoral membrane, it lacks an external tail. The dental formula is .The bat has a well-developed frontal expansion of the skull with prominent postorbital processes. Male bats have glands on the lower back that excretes a yellowish substance which discolors the area around it and may give males their sweet, spicy smell. Females have false nipples near the anus which are used by the young to hold on to.
Ecology
The yellow-winged bat has a extensive range throughout the middle of Africa. It is found in BeninBenin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, Ivory Coast, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, Gambia, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
. The bat mostly lives in riparian habitats in low-lying woodland and savannah in elevations of less than 2,000m. It can be found in forest or open habitat, particularly in low braches of acacia tree and thorn bushes along rivers, swamps and lakes. This bat tends to fly close to and over rivers and open water. It prefer to live in areas were the vegetation is not very dense, where it can have a greater view of its surroundings. The yellow-winged bat primarily roosts in small trees and shrubs. It can also be found roosting in trees cavities and buildings. Bats use primary and peripheral roost trees. The primary roost tree is where bats return in the morning and meet before foraging in the evening. Bats make short flights between primary and peripheral roost trees. These flight s are frequent on hot days, possibly because the bats are looking for shade. Long flight are less common and are more often made in the heat of midday.
Unlike other false vampire bats, the yellow-winged bat feeds only on insects and not small vertebrates. It will feed on both soft- and hard-bodied insects. Bats have been recorded feeding on termites, scarab beetles, orthopterans, lepidopterans and dipterans. The size of prey ranges from very small to relatively large. The yellow-winged bat is a sit-and-wait predator that hangs from low branches and listens for prey on the ground. It then approaches and attacks the prey in short flights. It is possible that the bat has an exclusive feeding niche, since it has a unique foraging style and the time and place of foraging does not overlap with other bats in the area. This species likely has high predation pressure due to its coloration, roosting habits and activity during both day and night. Nevertheless, the bat is alert during the day. Predators include mambas
Mamba
Mambas, of the genus Dendroaspis , are a group of highly venomous, fast-moving land-dwelling snakes of Africa. They belong to the family of Elapidae which includes cobras, coral snakes, taipans, brown snakes, tiger snakes, death adders, kraits and, debatably, sea snakes...
, bat hawks
Bat Hawk
The Bat Hawk is a raptor found in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia to New Guinea. It is named for its diet, which consists mainly of bats. It requires open space in which to hunt, but will live anywhere from dense rainforest to semi-arid veld.-Description:The Bat Hawk is a slender, medium-sized...
, night tree vipers
Boiga
Boiga is a large genus of mildly venomous, rear-fanged, colubrid snakes typically known as the cat-eyed snakes or just cat snakes. They are primarily found throughout southeast Asia, India and Australia, but due to their extremely hardy nature and adaptability have spread to many other suitable...
and common kestrels
Common Kestrel
The Common Kestrel is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel, or Old World Kestrel. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel".This species...
.
Behavior and life history
The yellow-winged bat is a behaviorally monogamous species. Pairs of males and females are formed and maintained during the breeding season and each pair maintains exclusive foraging territories. The male and female of a pair roost less than 1 m apart. One member is vigilant during the day and will turn its head 225° and pin its ears to the back to check for disturbances. Between the foraging periods in the morning and evening, the male visits the peripheral roost and defends it from conspecifics. In the morning, one member of the pair will swoop up to its partner and hover, with or without hovering. The pair then separates for the day. The male and female meet again at the primary roost tree before the evening foraging and will groom and stretching and perform other social interaction. The maximum amount of male-female social interaction occurs between May and early June. This is when the rains are abundant, insects are plentiful and the young learn how to forage. Male and females will interact at midday, dusk and dawn. There are also apparently courtship flights during this time and male attempt to mount perched females.The exact time in which the yellow-winged bat reproduces, can vary by region. It gives birth at the end of the dry season in October in Zambia, while at Lake Baringo in Kenya, it typically gives birth at the beginning of the so-called long rains in April, which extend until June. The gestation period lasts around 3 months with a single young being born. For the first several weeks, the young clings tightly to its mother even during foraging. Soon, the young is left at the roost for around a week and begins to fly alone. The young practices flying by flapping its wings while clinging its feet to its mother’s neck. Newly Volant young will forage with their and soon develop a foraging performance that closely resembles that of their parents. Young are weaned 20 day after their first solo flight. Until around 50 days after its first flight, a young will live in its parent’s territory, synchronize its grooming and foraging periods with them and periodically huddle against its mother when roosting.
The yellow-winged bat emits search-phase echolocation calls and at least three social calls that can be heard by humans. The echolocation calls is a short, low-intensity broadband calls that give the bat information on close objects. The three main types of social calls are made before or during aggression, copulation or interactions between mothers and offspring.