Baby Western Screech Owl

Do Owls Eat Bats : Let’s Understand

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Bats are taken by owls, most likely in the time of emergence or returning from their roosts. However, Owls are generally not well-adapted to catch bats. A fascinating study from the UK indicates that hunting of birds (mainly owls) could account for around 11% of the total annual death of bats despite their evidently low proportion that bats have in diet of birds with predatory instincts .

Owls can devour bats. While it’s not normal for owls to consume bats, it’s certainly not uncommon and they’re not the only bird species to consume bats at times.

Owls that consume bats include Great Horned Owls, Long Eared Owls, Barn Owls, Tawny Owls, and Barred Owls. They are known for being more prey and prone to eating various animal species than others. This is the reason they often consume bats as well.

According to the book ‘Bats Eaten By Owls written published by Heimo Mikkola Barn Owls as well as Tawny Owls are the most likely to capture most bats. They account for approximately 40-45 percent of all bats consumed by Owls. Then , Long-Eared owls follow, which account for 7.3 percent. Short-Eared and Eagle Owls make up less than 2 percent. Other bat species do not scratch the surface of the statistics, however it still happens.

Do owls have a difficult time to hunt bats?

  • Owls eat bats only occasionally and occasionally, but it is also the case bat aggregations may be a significant local food source for certain species and owls at certain time. Additionally, the decline in prey (rodent) quantity could lead to owls expanding their diet to include bats.
  • Owls do hunt bats and are responsible for about 11% of the deaths of bats annually. It varies based on bat species and location, however overall bats are a kind of prey that is consistent for a variety of species of owls.
  • Bats can fly and while Owls are skilled fliers but it’s a lot difficult to spot something that is moving around than it is at ground level. In this way, they are able to detect the location of objects and pinpoint them in their spatial navigation. This means they can hunt efficiently and remain in a safe manner while flying.
  • Owls are able to use their silent flight to catch unwitting rodents. This isn’t true for bats since they sense the presence of an owl by echolocation. They can echo detect which means that they can broadcast calls into the world and listen to the echo’s they get back from those calls.
  • It is necessary to study the possible impacts of the owl’s predation on bat populations and to understand the ecological and environmental interactions between the owl species and their primary prey species. Predation by bats on owls is worthy of more research because, on the one side, it could help us gain knowledge about bats’ biodiversity and distribution. On the other hand, it may be a source of danger for smaller populations of endangered bats.

Owl Who Eat Bats bats :

  • Tawny Owls
  • Barn Owls
  • Barred Owls
  • Eagle owl
  • Short-eared Owls
  • Long-Eared Owls

If You want to see how Owl Captures Bat

Owl couples hunt bats

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