Greater Horseshoe Bat - Diet and Hunting

Diet and Hunting

The species feeds preferentially on lepidoptera (moths), making up around 41% of the diet by volume. - in particular the noctuidae species, Coleoptera (beetles) constitute around 33% of the diet, of which dung beetles are often taken Aphodius rufipes is one such dung beetle forming an especially important part of its diet. Cow pats are part of its life cycle, acting as food source and habitat for the larvae. Up to 100 larvae can be found in a single cow pat. The beetle is most abundant in August when the young bats begin their first feeeding flights). The remainder of the diet being hymenoptera and diptera. Cockchafers also form an important part of its diet.

The feeding area from the maternity roost is typically of radius 4 km, as neither the lactating females or young can travel far. In late August and September the bats feed on cranefly, to fatten up before hibernation. Breeding females depend on beetles from April until June, and moths from June to August.

The Greater Horseshoe Bat leaves its roost at dusk, and its flying is made up of slow, fluttering travel with short glides, normally between 0.3 and 6 metres above the ground, with little hunting during wet and windy weather. It hunts in terrain with poor tree cover such as hillsides, cliff faces and in gardens, locating insects from its resting place and then intercepting them. The species has the ability to pick food up off the ground while still in flight, and indeed drinks during low-level flight or while hovering. The feeding range of colonies in England is between 8 and 16 kilometres.