Bat boxes a hit with bugs and birds

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-09-07 03:00

New Zealand

Long-tailed bat, Eglington Valley. Credit: Colin O'Donnell

Roosting boxes set up for a remnant population of long-tailed bats in South Canterbury have proven more popular with wētā, rifleman, and geckos. Ninety-six bat boxes were set up in regenerating indigenous forest and woods within farmland in autumn 2003 and checked five times over 12 years. Signs of pekapeka were only found in a tenth of the boxes, but they were unexpectedly popular among South Island rifleman, with sixty nests counted over the period. A new population of tree-dwelling Southern Alps gecko was found in 26% of boxes; spiders and insects also made use of the structures, including Canterbury tree wētā in 40% of boxes. There could be several reasons why they weren't as much of a hit with pekapeka, including the well-insulated boxes being too hot or being beaten to them by nesting rifleman.

Multimedia

Long-tailed bat, Eglinton Valley

Checking bat boxes in South Canterbury

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Other Department of Conservation, Web page Resources for bat workers

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Journal of Zoology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Department of Conservation

Funder: Thank you to John Talbot and the South Canterbury Branch of the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand and to the Gamma Foundation for arranging for and funding the bat box trial. Volunteers and Department of Conservation staff deployed the boxes and undertook checks.

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