Of greater noctule “migration” from Russia to Italy: a comment on Vasenkov et al. (2023)

Abstract

We comment on a recent study (Vasenkov et al. in Dokl Biol Sci 513:395–399, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1134/S0012496623700746) presenting the movement paths of three greater noctule bats (Nyctalus lasiopterus), two juveniles and an adult, tracked from Russia in September–October 2020 and 2021, with particular emphasis on the unprecedented straight-line migration of a juvenile male to Italy. Notably, the juvenile's extraordinary 2515 km migration marks the longest recorded (as the crow flies) movement in a bat species. We argue that the two juveniles may represent cases of dispersal. Despite the attention garnered by Vasenkov et al.’s findings, caution is warranted in interpreting the broader migration picture. The paper’s dissemination underscores a potential oversimplification, neglecting key insights from recent work conducted in Italy that documented the year-round presence, hibernation, and parturition of N. lasiopterus in an area of the Friuli Venezia-Giulia region where the juvenile male tracked from Russia stopped over. Besides, inferring the existence of migratory routes based on small numbers of tracked bats is insufficient. The oversight of these findings may imply a misleading narrative about the species' behaviour, likely representing a case of partial migration, a pattern widespread among migratory bat species.