Madeira Pipistrelle

conservation

Conservation: IUCN 2003 and IUCN / SSC Action Plan (2001) – Vulnerable.

Order Chiroptera - Family Vespertilionidae

discussion

Discussion: Subgenus Pipistrellus. Phylogeography investigated by Pestano et al. (2003).

Order Chiroptera - Family Vespertilionidae

activity

Activity patterns. The Madeira Pipistrelle emerges a few minutes after sunset, being one ofthe first bats emerging at night. It is well adapted to man-made or human-influenced habitats for roosting. It roosts in Canary palms (Phoenix canariensis, Arecaceae), old buildings, tunnels, and sea cliffs. The few breeding roosts found include rock crevices, bird boxes, and building roofs. Echolocation is almost indistinct from that of Kuhl’s Pipistrelle, but it has peak frequencies of 45 - 47 kHz, resembling pulses of the Common Pipistrelle (P. pipustrellus). It has the typical pipistrelle-like calls, with first FM component followed by second QCF section that greatly varies in length and intensity. Calls are very flexible from almost entirely FM calls in cluttered environments such as forest interiors to QCF calls in open areas such as grasslands. Social calls are very similar to those of Kuhl’s Pipistrelle.

Vespertilionidae

biology_ecology

Habitat. Various habitats such as wetlands, woodlands, coniferous plantations, leafy laurel forests, farmlands, and urban areas from sea level up to ¢. 2150 m. The Madeira Pipistrelle reportedly forages up to 2150 m in the Canary Islands but mostly in lowlands on Madeira. It seems to prefer water bodies for foraging (e. g. lakes, ponds, and wetlands).

Vespertilionidae