Yellow-winged Bat - Ecology

Ecology

The yellow-winged bat has an extensive range throughout the middle of Africa. It is found in Benin, 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, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. The bat mostly lives in woodland and savannah habitats and in elevations of less than 2,000 m. It prefers acacia trees and thorn bushes near bodies of water, which it flies around. It prefers to live in areas where the vegetation is well spaced, which allows it to view more 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. It will roost in two separate trees; a primary and peripheral tree. Bats use their primary roost in the morning and again before evening. Bats travel between primary and peripheral roost trees, especially on hot days, as they may need shade. These flights are typically short but longer flights have been recorded in 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 may feed 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. They perch and listen for prey and if it flies by, the bat launches its attack. This species, while potentially vulnerable to predation, the bat is very alert. Mambas, bat hawks, night tree vipers and common kestrels may prey on this species.