Hidden Treasures: Our Long-Tailed Bats
Did you know that Tamahere is home to New Zealand's endangered long-tailed bats (pekapeka tou roa; Chalinolobus tuberculatus)? Contrary to popular myths, our native bats don’t drink blood or spread disease. These remarkable creatures play a vital role in our ecosystem by controlling flying insects like moths and midges and helping pollinate native plants.
Bats are excellent indicators of environmental health, but they face challenges:
Loss of Habitat: Bats need old trees with loose bark or cavities for roosting, even if those trees are dead or non-native like gums, willows, or pines. While bat boxes can offer temporary shelter, preserving these older trees until newly planted ones mature is a better long-term solution.
Predation: Rats, stoats, possums, and feral cats are major threats to bats. Keeping domestic cats indoors from dusk until dawn can also help protect them.
Urbanisation: Bats rely on dark, green corridors like gullies and river edges to move between feeding areas. Bright lights can disrupt their travel, so planting native trees and using low-intensity lighting can create safer spaces for them. For details on how this is being addressed in Hamilton’s Southern Links project, check out Jesse Mulligan’s RNZ interview about the special lighting and planting around the new Te Ara Pekapeka Bridge.
Bats are most active at dusk and after dark, making them a rare sight. They are sometimes mistaken for fantails or swallows, but with patience, you might spot them leaving their roosts just after sunset. In winter, they’re less active and may enter a semi-hibernation state to conserve energy. During warmer months, they are busy flying long distances to feed on insects.
Check out this incredible video clip to see them emerging from a bat box in Hamilton.
Bats at a Glance:
Appearance: Dark brown to black fur on their torso; wingspan about 25cm; weight 8-14g.
Diet: Flying insects like moths, beetles, mayflies, midges, and mosquitoes.
Breeding: Breeding females give birth to one pup per year and carry them during feeding flights until they’re around 4-6 weeks old.
Behaviour: They use echolocation to find food, roost in old trees, and are social creatures often seen in groups of 10 to 50. They fly at 60km/h over long distances and regularly move between different roosts.
Long-tailed Bat - Photo Credit: Colin O'Donnell
How You Can Help Protect Our Tamahere Bats:
Check Before You Chop: Dead or older trees with hollows are natural bat habitats. Protect these trees if possible. Ask your arborist to check for roosting bats before any tree felling.
Plant for the Future: Consider planting large native trees to provide roosting sites for future bat generations.
Control Pests: Help protect bats by controlling pests like rats, possums, stoats, and feral cats.
If you think you've seen bats in the area, we’d love to hear from you! Every sighting helps us understand and protect these special native mammals. Let’s keep Tamahere a safe haven for our long-tailed bats!
And a big thank you to Kerry Borkin and Andrew Styche from DOC, and Ellen Webb from GoEco & Project Echo for their fantastic insights and patience in answering all our questions. Their support has been invaluable in helping us learn more about these amazing bats and how to protect them.
