Foraging Behavior, Prey Selection, and Echolocation in Phyllostomine Bats (Phyllostomidae)

A thorough knowledge of food habits and feeding behavior is essential to appreciate the adaptive significance of different bat echolocation call types (Simmons et al. 1979, Neuweiler 1984). This paper describes prey selection, foraging behavior and echolocation in 12 species of phyllostomine bats (Phyllostomidae) from Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI). Little is known about the natural history of these bats, but they are onmivorous, feeding on insects, fruit, pollen, nectar and small vertebrates (Gardner 1977). Most species have long ears and hover, and are thought to glean prey from foliage and other substrates (Hill & Smith 1984). In addition, Trachops cirrhosus (Tuttle & Ryan 1981) and Micronycteris megalotis M. hirsuta and Tonatia silvicola (Tuttle et al. 1985, Belwood & Morris, in press) use prey produced sounds (frog and insect calls, respectively) to locate food.