Miniopterus australis Click to enlarge image
Bat, Little Bent-wing Clinging To Rock Face Image: Greg Little
© Australian Museum

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Miniopterus
    Species
    australis
    Family
    Vespertilionidae
    Order
    Chiroptera
    Subclass
    Eutheria
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
Miniopterus australis

Little Bent-wing Bats are vulnerable to disturbance from human visitors to cave roosts

Image: G B Baker
© Australian Museum

Introduction

Many hundreds of Little Bent-wing Bats roost together in a colony, often sharing their roosts with Common Bent-wing Bats.

Habitat

Little Bent-wing Bats roost in caves and mine tunnels, and also tree hollows. Many hundreds of these bats roost together in a colony. Often they share their roosting site with colonies of Common Bent-wing Bats.

Distribution


Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

Feeding and diet

Little Bent-wing Bats feed on small insects that fly beneath the canopy of thick forests. They are agile fliers, having to manoeuvre through the trees to catch their prey.

Life history cycle

Female Little Bent-wing Bats have a single baby in summer. They leave their babies in nursery caves at night to go and hunt, returning in the morning.

Conservation status

Little Bent-wing Bats are vulnerable to disturbance from human visitors to cave roosts, destruction of caves by limestone mining, and loss of feeding habitat by forestry operations, clearing and land degradation from agriculture.


Miniopterus australis

Little Bent-wing Bat in cave

Image: G B Baker
© Australian Museum