The birdlike noctule (''Nyctalus aviator'') is a species of

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

. It nests in the holes in old trees and buildings, and sometimes in mineshafts. It is distributed across

Northeast Asia Northeast Asia or Northeastern Asia is a geographical subregion of Asia; its northeastern landmass and islands are bounded by the Pacific Ocean. The term Northeast Asia was popularized during the 1930s by American historian and political scient ...

, from northeast China and

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

through the

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

to Japan.

Taxonomy

The birdlike noctule was described as a new species in 1911 by British mammalogist Oldfield Thomas. Thomas assigned it the scientific name of ''Nyctalus aviator''. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

had been collected in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

in 1904 by H. Ogawa. A 1951 publication treated it as a subspecies of the

greater noctule bat The greater noctule bat (''Nyctalus lasiopterus'') is a rare carnivorous bat found in Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. It is the largest and least studied bat in Europe with a wingspan of up to and is one of the few bat species to feed on p ...

with the trinomen of ''Nyctalus lasiopterus aviator'', though it has largely been considered a full species since 1983.

Description

An adult birdlike noctule has a body length of , a tail of , and a wing length of . it birdlike noctule has a forearm length of . Its thumb is short with a pronounced claw; the third digit is the longest, while the fifth is the shortest. Its fur is yellowish brown, velvety, and dense. The tip of its tail protrudes slightly past the edge of the

uropatagium The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, birds, some dromaeosau ...

Biology and ecology

The birdlike noctule is insectivorous, though also consumes birds. Along with the

and the Asian

great evening bat The great evening bat (''Ia io'') is the largest bat in the vesper bat family (Vespertilionidae) and the only living species in the genus '' Ia''. It is common to Eastern and Southeastern Asia ( China, India, Laos, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam), ...

, this is one of three bat species to prey on small, nocturnally-migrating birds, pursuing them in open air. At least one specific bird, Middendorff’s grasshopper warbler (''Locustella ochotensis)'', has been identified based on faecal DNA in the diet of ''N. aviator'' in Japan.

Range and habitat

Its range includes China, Japan,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

, and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. Its presence is possible but unconfirmed in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Conservation

As of 2019, it is evaluated as a near-threatened species by the IUCN. It is in suspected population decline due to

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and disturbance of its roost sites by humans.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q134338 Nyctalus Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas Mammals described in 1911 Bats of Asia Mammals of East Asia Mammals of China Mammals of Japan Mammals of Russia Near threatened biota of Asia