Conference Proceedings

A comparison of the roosting behaviour of Gould's wattled bats Chalinolobus gouldii using bat boxes and tree hollows in suburban Melbourne

Lisa N Evans, Lindy F Lumsden, B Law (ed.), P Eby (ed.), D Lunney (ed.), L Lumsden (ed.)

BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF AUSTRALASIAN BATS | ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOC NEW SOUTH WALES | Published : 2011

Abstract

Bats in suburban areas face a number of challenges adapting to what is a highly altered landscape. This is particularly true for species that prefer tree hollows for day roosts because the large, old trees that have developed suitable hollows are often removed from suburban areas. In suburban Melbourne,Victoria, Australia, during the last ten years, nest boxes have increasingly been used to provide additional roosts for bats in suburban parkland and remnant forest However, little is known of the relative use of natural hollows and bat boxes, or whether the addition of new roosts may alter roosting behaviour. The types of resources available to bats may influence their roosting behaviour and ..

View full abstract

University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

This study was conducted under permits from the Department of Sustainability and Environment (10003314) and a University of Melbourne Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee (0701162). We would like to thank the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment and Bat Conservation International for their financial support. Graeme Coulson and Peter Menkhorst provided helpful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. Thank you also to Graeme Coulson and Ian Beveridge for ongoing advice throughout this study. Lastly, thanks go to George Paras and Anthony Theunissen at Gresswell Nature Conservation Reserve for their assistance and enthusiasm.