Bat Research Team

Habitat and site age drive carcass persistence at wind energy facilities: Evidence from a large-scale analysis Accurately estimating wind turbines' direct impact on biodiversity remains challenging, as many carcasses are scavenged or displaced before detection.…

[NEW TEAM PAPER]

𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀: 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

We showed that wind farm age, habitat, and season influence persistence, but substantial unexplained variability persists. Local trials and tailored estimators remain essential

Call for abstract submissions!

The Emerging Bioacousticians' Days are returning for their fourth edition in Besançon from 16 to 18 June 2026, and they are actively seeking presenters!

Abstract submissions are open until 3 April 2026 via this link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F....

🦇 Happy New Year!! 2026 is here and bats are... still sleeping! 😅

Bats spend most of the winter hibernating, a state of inactivity characterised by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate.

Greater noctule bats prey on and consume passerines in flight Despite billions of passerines seasonally migrating during the night at high altitudes, only three bat species have been found to consistently tap into this rich prey resource. However, it remains unk...

[NEW PAPER]

What a surprising behavior !

🦇Greater noctules (𝘕𝘺𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴) soar above 400 meters, using echolocation to chase and snatch nocturnal migratory passerines mid-flight—unlocking a high-altitude feast most predators can’t reach.

#batresearch #bioacoustics

🦇If you want to learn more about the effects of light pollution on bats 💡, you can listen to the interview of one of the Team Chiro member, Lea Mariton, here

Current frontiers in the passive acoustic monitoring of bats Passive acoustic monitoring of bats is used in a growing number of studies in applied and basic research, from local to global scales. Despite the publication of good-practice recommendations, sev...

[ NEW TEAM PAPER ]

🦇🎤 Passive acoustic monitoring of 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘀 holds huge potential, but how do bat counts correlate with actual numbers? Which factors affect detectability? New metrics & models could revolutionize our understanding. Time to standardize protocols & share data! #BatResearch #Bioacoustics

Foraging flight strategy varies with species identity of co-occurring individuals in bats The presence of individuals from a different species induces a change in bat's flight strategy, that probably reflects an increase in competitiveness. Inde

[NEW PAPER OUT]

🦇 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 !

A deep dive into optimal foraging theory and social foraging through this bat study: flight speed, tolerance to conspecifics, and adjustments in the presence of heterospecifics revealed via 3D tracking.

A screen shot of the PDF of the Review, Unlocking the mysteries of biosonar use and foraging behaviour in wild bats with on-board acoustic recording tags, but Laura Stidsholt. The publishing information states: © 2025. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2025) 228, jeb250777. doi:10.1242/jeb.250777. The first sentence of the Abstract states: Since the discovery of biosonar by Griffin in the 1940s, laboratories have conducted detailed experiments on how bats produce and modify their biosonar calls, as well as on how they detect and process self-generated echoes when orienting and hunting in flight rooms

In her review, Laura Stidsholt @bioacousticsau.bsky.social discusses how bat-borne acoustic devices are changing echolocation research in wild #bats by recording sensory & foraging behaviour across different species, habitats & levels of disturbance

journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Modelling connectivity at a regional scale during seasonal movements of the greater horseshoe bat Studying pathways during high mobility periods is one of the main missing elements for effective conservation, particularly for small species such as bats. An acoustic, stratified sampling at both lo...

🦇 The authors used a #bioacoustic approach to study movement decisions of a short range echolocator at the local scale in relation to landscape discontinuities, and modeled regional connectivity using circuit theory. Results were validated in the field and then compared with existing protected areas

Thank you very much, I totally forgot to mention it :)

Zoos Could Be a Zone for High Impact Soundscape Research Zoos are an untapped resource for scientists working on sound, research suggests. Closer collaboration between scientists and the zoo community may mean future research could benefit animals and deepe...

Hear that? We are still banging the drum for #bioacoustics - the study of organic sound - and how zoos deserve more exploration.

Our researchers evaluated 180+ studies to set out the current state of the field and suggest what should come next.

www.technologynetworks.com/tn/articles/...

🧪🌍🦇

I've been on attenuation models for some time, and it is always nice (and hard) to write papers between physics and ecology. I have actually developed a new attenuation model for this one! Have been working with physicists on a second paper using birds from Amazonia.❤️ To be continued!
#bioacoustics

Lost in Translation—How Transparency Can Improve Comparability and Reusability in Acoustic Bat Research Acoustic monitoring is a key method for assessing bat populations and their ecological patterns, but the diversity of hardware and software requires transparent documentation to ensure reproducibilit...

[ 𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝑨𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑩𝒂𝒕 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 ]

"𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑑𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠"

Here, the authors propose a standardized framework for reporting methodological parameters to improve comparability, reproducibility, and transparency

[ #bioacoustics ]

🌏 One of our team members participated to this large scale bio-acoustic project :

🏙️ "𝐀𝐭 𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧" 🔉

Pressured researchers in ecology and conservation demand support to guarantee fair interactions with stakeholders Facing the current decline of biodiversity, researchers in ecology and conservation interact with socioeconomic stakeholders to involve their research…

⚠️ Our study published today alerts about the 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨-𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬⚙️
⛔ Negative interactions include greenwashing, manufacture of doubt and abandonment of research topics❗
✅ Solutions are discussed

DOI : 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111324

Planning sustainable urban lighting for biodiversity and society - Nature Cities Sustainable lighting requires balancing the preservation of biodiversity with the needs of urban residents. This study offers a valuable tool and meaningful insights to assist urban planners in achiev...

[ 𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 ] 🦇💡

After combining remote sensing and ecological modelling, this freshly published paper evaluate human residents’ acceptance of various street-lighting adjustments, aiming to identify the optimal lighting compromises in cities.

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

[𝑅𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑂𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑀𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 - 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠]

@andreasravache.bsky.social investigated 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 at wind farms 🦇

💀↗️ near forests or wetlands 🌳💧
💀↗️ with low turbine ground clearance
💀↘️ with turbine age⌛
🛑 Curtailment measures ↘️ but do not eliminate mortality

[𝑅𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑂𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑀𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 - 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠]

@elisesvlt.bsky.social identified a positive relationship between the acoustic activity of bats at wind turbine nacelle height and the number of fatalities 🦇

Further studies will aim to identify risk behaviors allowing to predict mortality.

[𝑅𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑂𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑀𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 - 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠]

@fabien-verniest.bsky.social presented the 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒐𝑬𝒐𝒍𝒉𝒂𝒃 project, that aims to assess the behavioural responses of bats to wind turbines, with a focus on comparing the role of the wake effect between different landscapes and seasons

🦇[ 𝑁𝐸𝑊 𝑃𝐴𝑃𝐸𝑅]

𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 :

- Variable between guilds
- Higher mortality for eastern red bat in response to ultrasonic deterrents
- Positive relation between fatalities and wind turbines rotation
- No additional benefit over curtailment in reducing bat fatalities

[Renewable Energy Observatory Meetings]
🦇
Charlotte Roemer presented the project 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨, aiming to inform spatial planning.
Maps of areas of conservation priority for bats and maps of bat sensitivity to renewable energies will be produced to help stakeholders enhance bat conservation in France

Maternal behavior influences vocal practice and learning processes in the greater sac-winged bat Non-tutorial feedback shapes song acquisition in a mammalian vocal learner.

🦇 Greater sac-winged bat pups acquire their vocal repertoire through a conspicuous vocal practice behavior reminiscent of babbling in human infants. Pups spend about 30% of their daily activity time babbling – and it turns out that mothers influence this behavior.

elifesciences.org/articles/99474

❗[Job Opportunity]❗

🦇 Sampling and banking of chiropteran acoustic data on the coast and at sea
📍 Concarneau, Brittany, FRANCE
📆 3 months, starting in June
📧 anais.pessato@mnhn.fr

🦇 We also worked on a new methodology to establish robust reference values for bat activity at wind turbine nacelle height. This approach will soon be published, enabling consultancy firms to develop their own reference datasets while ensuring consistency across studies.
#bioacoustics

🦇 Meanwhile, another team gathered to explore the relationship between competition and body condition in bats. This was made possible thanks to data from the “Cacchi” platform, which aims to harmonize bat capture practices nationwide and enhance the scientific value of capture data.
cacchi.mnhn.fr

🦇 Tiphaine Devaux presented the latest bat activity trends from Vigie-Chiro, a participatory acoustic monitoring program for bats. A working group then formed to improve automatic identification by species groups and to integrate automated weather data extraction.
#bioacoustics

🦇 During our annual meeting, "Team Chiro" spent three days presenting current challenges in our respective studies and sharing ideas to solve them.

🔎 We then formed working groups around common research questions.

🔽 More information below 🔽

#ornithology 🪶 #bioacoustics 🔊

Vol de Nuit : Publication d'un état des lieux et comparaison de matériel pour le suivi national de la migration nocturne par acoustique passive 🌙

#lpo @mnhn.fr @trektellen.bsky.social #nocmig #bioacoustics