Common Noctule Bat : New Study
A new study has uncovered the migration strategy of a mammal species called common noctule bat, which travels thousands of kilometres every spring across Europe uses warm storm fronts to aid their migration and conserve energy while flying.
- The Common noctule (Nyctalus noctula) is an insectivorous bat.
- Its colors range from golden to dark brown above and usually pale brown below.
- Their wings are narrow and pointed, and they have a characteristic powerful, direct flight, with repeated steep dives when chasing flying insects.
- Noctules echolocate at low frequencies around 25kHz, just within the upper limit of human hearing, thus they can sometimes be heard, particularly by children.
- They generally reside in forests but may forage in open areas and dwell in or near human habitation.
- Roosting sites include hollow trees, buildings, and caves.
- During winter they hibernate in caves, rock crevices, bat boxes, or blocks of flats in Eastern Europe, where they are the most common hibernating bat species in the cities.
- They are found in common throughout Europe, most of temperate Asia to Japan and Burma, Oman, Viet Nam, Taiwan and Algeria.
- Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern
