Common bent-wing bat

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Common bent-wing bat

The common bent-wing bat (Miniopterus schreibersii) is an insect-eating bat. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It forms large colonies, from a few dozen to millions of bats, in caves, mines, tunnels, ruins, and other sites, including some man-made places.

Roosts are often “bell-shaped” hollows that trap heat, helping the colony stay warm and save energy. To avoid predators during torpor (a long rest), they often enter roosts through small openings. The bat can hibernate for up to about 12 days and may migrate several times a year, with the longest recorded journey about 833 km.

Taxonomy and names
- Scientific name: Miniopterus schreibersii
- Common names: common bent-wing bat, Schreibers’s long-fingered bat, Schreibers’s bat
- It was named in honor of Carl Franz Anton Ritter von Schreibers
- There are 11 recognized subspecies. Three former subspecies are now considered separate species: Miniopterus pallidus (pale bent-wing bat), Miniopterus fuliginosus (eastern bent-wing bat), and Miniopterus orianae (Australasian bent-wing bat). The Southern bent-wing bat is now treated as a subspecies of M. orianae.

Where it lives
The species originated in subtropical regions and now occurs across parts of the southern Palearctic, Ethiopic, Oriental, and Australian regions. In Europe, it is mostly found in the southern half of the continent, from Iberia to the Caucasus, with the largest populations in warmer, Mediterranean areas. It is also found in many countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and nearby islands. In 2018, Poland recorded the bat for the first time, showing a northern expansion even as Europe’s overall bat populations decline.

Threats
In Europe, declines are linked to loss of underground habitats, habitat disturbance, and pesticide use. In Australia, high levels of DDT have been found in the bat, affecting both adults and young.