Beccari's Freetail Bats, Mormopterus beccarii Click to enlarge image
Male, photographed at Pine Creek N.T. Beccari's Freetail Bats roost in tree hollows and under roofs. They roost together in colonies of around 50 bats. Image: G B Baker
© Australian Museum

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Mormopterus
    Species
    beccarii
    Family
    Molossidae
    Order
    Chiroptera
    Subclass
    Eutheria
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia

Introduction

Beccari's Freetail Bats were only recognised as a separate species in the 1960s.

Habitat

Beccari's Freetail Bats roost in tree hollows and under roofs. They roost together in colonies of around 50 bats.

Distribution


Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

Feeding and diet

Beccari's Freetail Bats eat beetles, leaf hoppers, weevils, flies, moths and grasshoppers. They fly quickly over water in a range of forest types.

Conservation status

Beccari's Freetail Bat is vulnerable to the loss of tree hollows and the loss of feeding grounds by forestry activities, clearing for agriculture and housing.