Greater noctule bats prey on and consume passerines in flight
Laura Stidsholt, Elena Tena, Ilias Foskolos, Jesús Nogueras, Iván de la Hera, Sonia Sánchez‐Navarro, Juan Luís García‐Mudarra, Carlos Ibáñez
Abstract
Despite billions of passerines seasonally migrating during the night at high altitudes, only three bat species have been found to consistently tap into this rich prey resource. However, it remains unknown where and how these bats locate, catch, and ingest relatively large passerine prey. Here, we used high-resolution biologging tags to reveal that greater noctule bats ( Nyctalus lasiopterus ) ascend to high altitudes, engage in long echo-guided chases, and consume migrating passerines in flight. By using a private sensory channel through ultrasonic echolocation, prolonged chasing, and mid-air prey consumption, these predators can hunt nocturnally migrating passerines at high altitudes and therefore exploit a rich food resource that remains largely inaccessible to most predators.