Sydney's bats . . .

• The grey-headed flying-fox, the most commonly-seen bat in the Sydney region, is a large nectar- and fruit-eating bat which roosts during the day in large treetop colonies. It's listed as a threatened species (vulnerable to extinction) at state, federal, and international levels. Numbers are declining - from many millions in the 1930's to less than 450,000 in 2004, with an estimated 30% decline in population between 1990 and 2000. A population study (Divljam 2008) suggests the grey-headed flying-fox will be extinct in the wild in around 80-85 years.
• Around 19 species of insect-eating microbats are also found in the Sydney Region.

Bats are important because . . .

• Nectar- and fruit-feeding bats are vital to forest regeneration as pollinators and dispersers of rainforest seeds
• Insect-eating bats play an important role in the natural control of insect population

Don't miss Peter Noble's Bat Rap!