Advice for the management of flightlines and foraging habitats of the barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus (ENRR657)

Recent in-depth radio-tracking and survey work with a number of bat species has begun to show a substantial element of resource partitioning between the sexes in the summer months. There are strong indications that this is the case with barbastelles. A few males may be found within the area of prime habitat used by a maternity colony, but the majority of males are spread far and wide in sub-optimal habitats. There is no discernable sex difference in the echolocation calls of barbastelles. This means that bat detector records of barbastelle calls may represent males who may be several tens of kilometres away from the nearest nursery colony. To understanding the significance of any record of barbastelles, it is essential to know the sex and sexual state of the individual bat concerned.