Scientists have recorded a greater noctule bat hunting, killing, and devouring a robin while flying, revealing a savage side to the typically harmless-seeming creature. The incident, observed in southern Spain, shows the bat climbing to 1.2km before diving at high speed to capture its prey. After a lethal bite, the bat consumed the bird continuously for 23 minutes without losing altitude.
Dr Laura Stidsholt, co-author of the study from Aarhus University, described the feat as remarkable, noting that the bird weighed about half as much as the bat. “It would be like me catching and eating a 35-kilo animal while jogging,” she said. The bat used stealth, flying silently at night, and the robin’s distress calls were recorded as it attempted to escape.
The research, led by Dr Carlos Ibáñez of the Doñana Biological Station, provides evidence for a long-debated theory that bats prey on migratory birds. Earlier observations of feathers in bat faeces had been met with scepticism, but the team used tiny backpacks with accelerometers, altimeters, and microphones to capture the behaviour. Two attacks were recorded, one successful.
X-ray analysis of severed songbird wings found under bat hunting grounds suggests bats bite off wings to reduce weight and drag, then use their hind legs to form a pouch to eat the rest mid-flight. While acknowledging the grim nature of the discovery, researchers emphasise its importance for understanding bat ecology, especially as the species faces threats from drought and wildfires.
