Mammals of the WorldEgyptian Free-tailed Bat
Nyctinomus aegyptiacus
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Family
- Molossidae
- Genus
- Nyctinomus
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Saudi Arabia|Yemen|Oman|Iran|Afghanistan|Pakistan|India|Sri Lanka|Morocco|Algeria|Egypt|Mauritania?|Sudan|South Sudan|Ethiopia|Kenya|Tanzania|Democratic Republic of the Congo|Angola|Zambia|Zimbabwe|Mozambique|Botswana|Namibia|South Africa|Eswatini|Lesotho
- Realm
- Afrotropic|Palearctic|Indomalaya
Other names: Egyptian Guano Bat|Egyptian Nyctinome
About this species
- Size
- Head and body 6–8cm; forearm about 5cm
- Diet
- Insects, including beetles and caterpillars
- Habitat
- Arid savanna to humid uplands, as long as water, and cliffs or caves for roosting, are available; also old buildings and temples
- Range
- Africa east through Arabia and the Middle East to Bangladesh and south to Sri Lanka
The Egyptian free-tailed bat (Tadarida aegyptiaca, now often placed in Nyctinomus) has fine, dense greyish-brown fur that is darker on the head and back and paler beneath. Its wings are narrow and pointed, with translucent light brown membranes, the short tail projects beyond the tail membrane, and the rounded ears sit close together. The wrinkled, bulldog-like face gives the family Molossidae its name (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is widely but apparently locally distributed across Africa, except parts of the north-west, and east through Arabia and the Middle East to south Asia as far as Bangladesh and south to Sri Lanka. It occurs from arid savanna to humid uplands wherever it can reach water, roosting in cliffs and caves as well as in man-made structures such as old buildings and temples. It is nocturnal, roosts in colonies of from three to thousands, is a fast flier that covers large distances over open ground, and takes prey in flight or from the ground (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)