Foraging Behavior of the African Insectivorous Bat, Scotophilus leucogaster

Abstract

The foraging behavior of S. leucogaster in Zimbabwe, Africa, was studied during Jan. and Feb. (normally the wet season) 1982, using mist nets, fecal analysis, light tags and radiotelemetry. Both the diet and foraging behavior of this species appear to be variable. Individuals foraged primarily over floodplains for an average of < 1 h at dusk, and they spent the rest of the night in small tree-cavity roosts. Adults averaged shorter feeding periods, and they remained closer to the roost area than did subadults. Hemipterans and coleopterans were the primary prey items, although a number of other insect orders were eaten to varying degrees by different individuals. The diet varied between adults and subadults and from night to night. It was also more varied than that previously reported for this species during the wet season, a fact potentially due to abnormally dry conditions present during 1981 and 1982. Indeed, both the varied diet and single feeding bout more resemble dry season characteristics of S. leucogaster than wet season characteristics. The dry conditions and low insect abundance may explain the short foraging period; the risk of predation may also be an important factor.