Wildlifeof Sumatra
Painted Bat
Free-tailed & Vesper Bats
Photo: Ameet Mandavia · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Kerivoula picta
Basic stats
Diet
Small insects, caught in flight
Habitat
Old weaver and sunbird nests, banana leaves and hut eaves
Range
South and Southeast Asia
Litter size
1
Size
Body 3–5.5cm; wingspan 18–30cm
Weight
About 5g
The painted bat, or painted woolly bat, is tiny, about 5 g, with body and tail each 3 to 5.5 cm and a wingspan of 18 to 30 cm. It is bright orange or scarlet with black wings and orange along the fingers. It hunts small insects in flights of one to two hours, using its tail membrane as a net (Wikipedia, general species account).
It roosts in small groups of two to six, in the suspended nests of weaver finches and sunbirds, in banana leaves or under hut eaves, and family units of a mother, father and one young are reported. Breeding is thought to be between June and August. It is fairly uncommon (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Painted Bat eat?
- Small insects, caught in flight
- What habitat does the Painted Bat live in?
- Old weaver and sunbird nests, banana leaves and hut eaves
- Where is the Painted Bat found?
- South and Southeast Asia
- What is the litter size of the Painted Bat?
- 1
- How big is the Painted Bat?
- Body 3–5.5cm; wingspan 18–30cm
- How much does the Painted Bat weigh?
- About 5g