Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

CHAPTER 1 An Overview of Bats within Britain and Ireland

1.1 Species diversity

1.2 Life cycles

1.3 Roosting behaviour

1.4 Commuting and foraging

1.5 Habitat use model

CHAPTER 2 Introducing Bat Social Calls

2.1 Backdrop

2.2 Echolocation in context

2.3 Social calls

2.4 Settings for social interaction

2.5 Generic roost sites

2.6 Distress

2.7 Mother and offspring interaction

2.8 Co-ordination and group cohesion

2.9 Male bats

2.10 Mating behaviour

2.10.1 Resource defence polygyny

2.10.2 Female defence polygyny

2.10.3 Promiscuity

2.11 Food patch defence

2.12 Seasonal peaks relating to advertisement and agonistic social call production

CHAPTER 3 Classification of Social Calls

3.1 Classification of social calls in the Vespertilionidae species

3.1.1 Type A – Aggressive/threatening

3.1.2 Type B – Distress

3.1.3 Type C calls

3.1.4 Type D calls

3.2 Classification of calls in Rhinolophidae species

CHAPTER 4 Analysis of Social Calls

4.1 Analysis of calls

4.2 Detecting and recording options

4.3 Call measurement parameters

4.4 Harmonics

4.5 Description of calls

CHAPTER 5 Considerations in Survey Design

5.1 Why study bat social calls?

5.2 Considerations and challenges

5.3 Survey techniques

5.3.1 Non-intrusive methods (e.g. field surveys away from roosting locations)

5.3.2 Intrusive methods

CHAPTER 6 Species Groups

6.1 Introduction and overview of species profiles

6.1.1 Social call descriptions

6.2 Rhinolophus species

6.2.1 Greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)

6.2.2 Lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros)

6.3 Myotis species

6.3.1 Daubenton’s bat (Myotis daubentonii)

6.3.2 Natterer’s bat (Myotis nattereri)

6.3.3 Whiskered bat (Myotis mystacinus)

6.3.4 Brandt’s bat (Myotis brandtii)

6.3.5 Alcathoe bat (Myotis alcathoe)

6.3.6 Bechstein’s bat (Myotis bechsteinii)

6.3.7 Greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis)

6.3.8 Pond bat (Myotis dasycneme)

6.3.9 Geoffroy’s bat (Myotis emarginatus)

6.4 Nyctalus species

6.4.1 Noctule (Nyctalus noctula)

6.4.2 Leisler’s bat (Nyctalus leisleri)

6.5 Vespertilio species

6.5.1 Parti-coloured bat (Vespertilio murinus)

6.6 Pipistrellus species

6.6.1 Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)

6.6.2 Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus)

6.6.3 Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii)

6.6.4 Kuhl’s pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii)

6.6.5 Differentiation of Pipistrellus Type D social calls

6.7 Eptesicus species

6.7.1 Serotine (Eptesicus serotinus)

6.7.2 Northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii)

6.8 Plecotus species

6.8.1 Brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus)

6.8.2 Grey long-eared bat (Plecotus austriacus)

6.9 Barbastella species

6.9.1 Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus)

Appendix: Downloadable Track List

Bibliography

References

Index