A Bat Hawk Macheiramphus alcinus pair preyed primarily on bats and birds that forage in clutter-edge and open-air habitat groups

Abstract

This study aimed to analyse the diet of a pair of Bat Hawks Macheiramphus alcinus, based on regurgitated pellets, and the associated habitat-foraging groups that the prey species belonged to. A total of 908 regurgitated pellets were collected from underneath one nest tree in north-eastern South Africa, over a 24-month period. A total of 26 prey species were identified, of which 17 comprised bats and nine were birds. Seven prey species qualified as common in the diet (≥11 individuals): Pipistrellus hesperidus, Tadarida aegyptiaca, Scotophilus dinganii, Zosterops virens, Chaerephon pumilus, Afronycteris nana and Laephotis capensis. Most prey individuals were clutter-edge foragers: 41 individuals (67%) were birds, and 181 (42%) were bats. The Bat Hawks therefore foraged predominantly adjacent to vegetation. Future studies should examine the environmental factors that drive the abundance of insects in these habitats and the foraging techniques that birds and bats employ to prey upon them, to ultimately increase our understanding of the foraging framework that flying Bat Hawks exploit when hunting these flying animals.