Emergence at a maternity roost was earliest relative to sunset when females were lactating, and bats may then have risked predation by flying at higher light levels during a period of high energy demand. Echolocation Calls : The echolocation call of noctules has a narrow bandwidth. May also forage around lights or in the substrate. There are many noctules in Hamburg, Vienna, Brno and some other central European cities. It hunts at night, although it may emerge before dark during the summer months.
The noctule is our largest bat. The common noctule is a fast and persistent flyer. To listen to the call of the noctule bat click here
Back to top . During the summer, females form maternity colonies and have just a single pup. The noctule Nyctulus noctula (Schreber, 1774) is a relatively large (c. 25 g) insectivorous bat which catches insects on the wing (by aerial hawking). Noctules roost in holes in trees and bat boxes, but rarely in buildings.
This suggests that each bat takes advantage of the prevailing weather and terrain to optimize its own individual flight. Generally, noctule bats live in forests, but some populations can be found in towns.
It catches its prey on the wing, using its powerful flight to dive and catch insects from above the tree canopy. Prey is caught and consumed during flight.
The noctule bat’s diet is made up of insects; particularly moths, winged ants, midges and flying beetles. When roosting through the day, the noctule bat usually seeks out tree holes or even bat boxes attached to the tree trunks.
All UK bats are nocturnal, feeding on midges, moths and other flying insects that they find in the dark by using echolocation. Marked in blue on the diagram above is a typical foraging path of noctules (based on Russ, 1999). On its flights it easily reaches speeds of 50 kilometres per hour.