Common Bent-winged Bat

Common bent-winged bats are widely distributed cave-roosting bats found across parts of southern Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Their elongated third finger produces the characteristic bent-wing profile and supports fast, maneuverable flight. They are nocturnal and highly social, sometimes forming extremely large colonies in suitable caves. Seasonal movements may connect wintering sites with maternity caves, where females gather and raise their young in dense communal groups. (Animal Diversity Web)

These bats hunt small beetles and other flying insects, commonly feeding ten to twenty metres above the ground and locating prey by echolocation. They emerge from daytime cave roosts shortly after sunset and forage through much of the night. Females generally breed once per year and produce one or two young. Gestation is reported at approximately 240 days and incorporates delayed implantation, while juveniles are weaned between forty-two and ninety days after birth. (Animal Diversity Web)