Molecular evidence of bird-eating behavior in Nyctalus aviator

Abstract

Insectivorous bats consume a large variety of food items. Previous observations of feathers found in feces led to the hypothesis that the birdlike noctule (Nyctalus aviator, Vespertilionidae) could prey on birds. To test the hypothesis, we analyzed fecal samples from six species (Barbastella pacifica, Murina hilgendorfi, Myotis frater, N. aviator, Plecotus sacrimontis, and Vespertilio sinensis) collected from central Hokkaido, Japan, via DNA barcoding. We identified the presence of the Middendorff's grasshopper warbler (Locustella ochotensis) in the diet of a pregnant individual of N. aviator. All the other samples proved negative regarding bird prey DNA. This is the first time that the consumption of a bird by N. aviator is confirmed with molecular evidence. Our findings add invaluable insight into the diet of this bat and its potentially opportunistic foraging behavior.

Keywords

Nyctalus aviator; Locustella ochotensis; Bird prey; DNA barcoding; Sanger sequencing

Published in

Acta ethologica
2019, Volume: 22, number: 3, pages: 223-226 Publisher: SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

SLU Authors

• Vesterinen, Eero

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • University of Turku

UKÄ Subject classification

Zoology
Behavioral Sciences Biology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-019-00319-5

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/102620