Aerial Predation of Japanese Pipistrelle Bat Pipistrellus abramus by Several Diurnal Predatory Bird Species in a Suburban Riverine Habitat in Japan

Abstract

The Japanese pipistrelle Pipistrellus abramus is one of the most common bats in urban and suburban areas of Japan, from southern Hokkaido to Okinawa. Although the bat is generally nocturnal, it is also active at twilight, i.e., before and after sunset, at which time it may be preyed upon by diurnal predatory birds. During our 710 days of monitoring between April 2012 to May 2022 from the banks of the Koaze River, which flows through Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, we observed 47 aerial attacks on Japanese pipistrelles by several diurnal predatory bird species. The predatory bird species included the Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis, Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus, Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus, and Carrion Crow Corvus corone. Our study suggests that bats are a food source for diurnal predatory species of birds in urban and suburban areas.