Karima Kaci, Mourad Ahmim, Ridha Dalhoumi

Winter habitat use and nocturnal activity of the Kuhl’s pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii) and the European free-tailed bat (Tadarida teniotis) in a Mediterranean region (Algeria)

Abstract In Algeria, data on bats are scarce, especially regarding their winter activity. In order to increase knowledge of this fauna, we studied the nocturnal behaviour as well as habitat use during the winter season 2020–2021 by two bat species, Pipistrellus kuhlii and Tadarida teniotis, using an acoustic survey in five different habitats in an area located in northern Algeria, southern Bejaia, part of the Bibans mountain range. There was a significant difference in activity levels between different habitat types used by the two species, and average passage rates varied significantly according to the time of night. For P. kuhlii, the ravine recorded the highest average number of visits per night, while the olive grove and the entrance to the Aleppo pine forest recorded the lowest. For T. teniotis, the highest average number of visits per night was recorded in the olive grove and ravine, and the lowest in the Aleppo pine forest and Aleppo pine forest entrance. This study confirms the activity of the two species during winter with distinct differences in temporal activity patterns between species, sites and over time. The decrease in temperature was accompanied by a decrease in activity of T. teniotis in the ravine. It was the same for P. kuhlii at the same site, but the decrease in activity was not as significant as for T. teniotis. Despite the decrease in temperature at the olive grove site, T. teniotis activity did not decrease. It can therefore be concluded that the activity pattern does not depend on temperature any more than it does on site.

Doi https://doi.org/10.35513/21658005.2024.2.10

Keywords Chiroptera; bats; echolocation; activity patterns; winter activity; acoustic survey

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