Nyctalus Lasiopterus Research Articles

Kin structure and roost fidelity in greater noctule bats

Roost fidelity is an important aspect of mammalian biology. Studying the mechanisms underlying philopatry can help us understand a species’ energetic requirements, ecological constraints and social organisation. Temperate bat species notably exhibit a high degree of female philopatry considering their size, resulting in maternity colonies segregated at the mitochondrial level. We focus on the greater noctule, Nyctalus lasiopterus, to study this behaviour in more depth. We make use of microsatellite data for 11 markers across 84 individuals residing in Maria Luisa Park in Seville, Spain. At the time of sampling this urban park boasted the highest number of bats of any known colony of this species, among which three social groups were observed to segregate spatially. We studied the distribution of pairs of individuals across filial relationship categories and relatedness estimates relative to the social group of each individual. This analysis was complemented by information on roost-use frequency among a subset of genotyped bats. We found no significant relationship between roost use and genetic distance, but there was evidence that more closely related bats are more likely to be found in the same social group. Mother-daughter pairs shared the same group more often than expected, as did pairs of individuals of relatedness above 0.43. We discuss the implications of these results in terms of the behavioural ecology of temperate bats and for conservation efforts aimed at preserving them.

Bats of the Prespa Basin in northern Greece: acoustic survey, new records and relationships to light pollution (Chiroptera)

The bat survey in the Greek part of the Prespa basin in 2018–2020 confirmed, despite the limited methods used, its extraordinary importance for bat diversity. The study documented the presence of 22 bat forms (20 species) by acoustic surveys and a favourable status of some roosts including several nursery colonies. Three of the recorded species are here reported for the first time, Eptesicus nilssonii (the first record for Greece), Nyctalus lasiopterus, and Barbastella barbastellus, however, confirmation by a capture or direct observation of an individual is still needed. The collected data showed that bats do not avoid the urbanized parts of the study area and underlined the importance of old houses, churches, and ruins providing suitable roosting and foraging opportunities. The measurements of light pollution in villages revealed a high amount of light diffusion caused by the used type of shieldless luminaires. Heat maps of light intensity revealed a slightly higher bat activity in almost all villages in 2020, upon the situation in 2018. Bat passes were recorded not only in the peripheries of the highest illumination zones but also inside them, although some of the bat passes may belong to bats flying enough in the dark above the light levels of the installed lamps. The study provides application of mitigation actions for the Municipality of Prespa with the main aim to reduce the current level of the ALAN (Artificial Light At Night).

ХІРОПТЕРОФАУНА НАЦІОНАЛЬНОГО ПРИРОДНОГО ПАРКУ «ГОЛОСІЇВСЬКИЙ», ПІВНІЧНИЙ МАСИВ

Introduction. Holosiivskyi National Nature Park is a unique, by its location, protected area. Parts of the park are located within the administrative boundaries of the city of Kyiv and include extensive, by area, forest plots. The park consists of three parts: Central (Holosiivskyi forest and other tracts), Southern (Lisnyky), and, since 2014, Northern (Svyatoshyn-Bilychi). The latter has the largest area – 6462.62 ha. Data on the chiropterofauna of this massif were incomplete. Bats are an essential element of terrestrial ecosystems. All bat species in Ukraine have a protection status, according to the Red Book of Ukraine and three international treaties. For effective conservation measures for species of this group, it is necessary to own data on their distribution, number, status, etc. As well, the study and monitoring of fauna are one of the primary tasks of national nature parks. Серія «Біологічні науки», 202125Purpose. The aim of the work was to describe the bat fauna of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychi massif of the Holosiivskyi National Nature Park, based on results of the field research conducted in 2019–2020, with the involvement of data collected in 2000–2005.Methods. Catching was carried out with mist nets. Bats were examined by the standard scheme, immediately after their capture. The study was done without removing animals from the wild; bats were released immediately after their examination at the place of their capture. Ultrasonic detectors were used for acoustic observations. The search of roosts was done by social vocalization of bats, presence of feces, night and morning swarming; as well structures which might be potential shelters for bats were inspected.Results. During 2000–2020, at the territory of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychi massif, nine bat species were recorded: Eptesicus serotinus, Myotis dasycneme, M. daubentonii, Nyctalus leisleri, N. noctula,Plecotus auritus, Pipistrellus kuhlii, P. nathusii, P. pygmaeus. Thus, today the list of bat fauna of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychi massif includes 10 species: 9, recorded; 1 species, Nyctalus lasiopterus, known by the record of the first half of the 20th century, was not revealed. According to the results of the survey in 2019–2020, four species were found to be dominants, in terms of the number of record points and their representation in catches: P. nathusii, P. pygmaeus, N. noctula, N. leisleri. During the survey, six species were confirmed to breed at the study area. 11 bat roosts were found; most of them, in trees.Originality. A comprehensive inventory of the chiropterofauna of the large protected area of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychimassif of the Holosiivskyi National Park was carried out for the first time. The first and the only one known Myotis dasycneme maternity colony in Kyiv region was found.Conclusion. The initial description of the chiropterofauna of the Svyatoshyn-Bilychi massif of the Holosiivskyi National Nature Park is presented. The obtained data can be used in the development and further implementation of practical measures for the conservation of bats within the territory of the Holosiivskyi National Nature Park and represent the basis for bat monitoring in the future. Key words: bats, fauna, Holosiivskyi National Nature Park, Kyiv City, Central Ukraine.

Bats in the collection of the Zoological museum of Belarusian State University

The results of the examination of bat collection of the Zoological Museum of Belarusian State University, Minsk, one of the largest natural history museums in Belarus are presented. The collection contains 226 specimens, collected in 1924-2006, mainly in Belarus (in all administrative regions). In the collection there are specimens of Vespertilionidae: Barbastella barbastellus, Eptesicus nilssonii, E. serotinus, Myotis daubentoni, Myotis ex gr. “mystacinus-brandtii, Nyctalus lasiopterus, N. leisleri, N. noctula, Pipistrellus kuhlii, P. nathusii, P. pipistrellus s. l., Plecotus auritus, Vespertilio murinus; and as well one species of Pteropodidae: Rousettus aegyptiacus. Voucher data were digitized and systematized. The electronic catalog was compiled and conveyed to the Museum. The scientific and historical value of the collection is shown.

Use of GPS–GSM Trackers in Studying the Biology of the Greater Noctule Nyctalus lasiopterus in Russia

Twenty-five individuals of the greater noctule Nyctalus lasiopterus were caught and marked with rings during an inventory of bat fauna (Chiroptera, Mammalia) of Meshchera National Park (Vladimir region) in 2019. Twelve animals were additionally tagged with miniature GPS–GSM trackers. For the first time for Russia, nighttime flight durations (1.3–3.3 h, average of 2.6 h) and flight activity characteristics (maximum speed 39–58 km/h) of this rare bat species were obtained. The flight activity characteristics and the condition of animals recaptured in summer indicate that there is no significant negative impact of trackers on the condition and movement of the greater noctule.

Species identification of the greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) by its records with detector

During 2010–2020, 11 specimens of the greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) was recorded in 4 locations of the Ukrainian Azov Sea region using ultrasound detectors: Askania-Nova, Krasnoperekopsk, Melitopol, and Primorsk. The reliability of the species’ identification by using computer programs BatSound and BatExplorer was 86.4 % ± 0.43 (83–88). Usually, the pulse frequency of the greater noctule bat at the peak of power is about 18 (14.7–20.0) kHz, and the wavelength of more than 90 % of them is 12.3–23.0 msec.

Mating strategy is determinant of adenovirus prevalence in European bats.

Adenoviruses are double-strained DNA viruses found in a great number of vertebrates, including humans. In order to understand their transmission dynamics, it is crucial, even from a human health perspective, to investigate how host traits influence their prevalence. Bats are important reservoirs for adenoviruses, and here we use the results of recent screenings in Western Europe to evaluate the association between characteristic traits of bat species and their probability of hosting adenoviruses, taking into account their phylogenetic relationships. Across species, we found an important phylogenetic component in the presence of adenoviruses and mating strategy as the most determinant factor conditioning the prevalence of adenoviruses across bat species. Contrary to other more stable mating strategies (e.g. harems), swarming could hinder transmission of adenoviruses since this strategy implies that contacts between individuals are too short. Alternatively, bat species with more promiscuous behavior may develop a stronger immune system. Outstandingly high prevalence of adenoviruses was reported for the Iberian species Pipistrellus pygmaeus, P. kuhlii and Nyctalus lasiopterus and we found that in the latter, males were more likely to be infected by adenoviruses than females, due to the immunosuppressing consequence of testosterone during the mating season. As a general trend across species, we found that the number of adenoviruses positive individuals was different across localities and that the difference in prevalence between populations was correlated with their geographic distances for two of the three studied bat species (P. pygmaeus and P.kuhlii). These results increase our knowledge about the transmission mechanisms of adenoviruses.

Bat parasites (Acari, Anoplura, Cestoda, Diptera, Hemiptera, Nematoda, Siphonaptera, Trematoda) in France (1762-2018): a literature review and contribution to a checklist.

This paper is a bibliographical survey of records of bat parasites in France (including Corsica) between 1762 and 2018. In total, 237 scientific publications were analysed. They show that bats are infected with a large diversity of endoparasites and ectoparasites. A total of 113 parasite taxa were identified from 27 host species; in addition, six bats were not identified to the species-level. The helminth fauna of bats comprises three species of Cestoda, 15 of Trematoda, and 13 of Nematoda. Acari parasites include 53 species (in addition to 22 invalid species). Finally, insect parasites comprise 13 species of Diptera (bat flies), 12 of Siphonaptera (fleas), 3 of Hemiptera (bugs), and 1 Anoplura species. Bat taxa reported with parasites were Barbastella barbastellus, Eptesicus serotinus, Hypsugo savii, Miniopterus schreibersii, Myotis bechsteinii, M. blythii, M. capaccinii, M. dasycneme, M. daubentonii, M. emarginatus, M. myotis, M. mystacinus, M. nattereri, M. punicus, Nyctalus lasiopterus, N. leisleri, N. noctula, Pipistrellus kuhlii, P. nathusii, P. pipistrellus, Plecotus auritus, P. austriacus, Rhinolophus euryale, R. ferrumequinum, R. hipposideros, R. mehelyi, Tadarida teniotis, Eptesicus sp., Myotis sp., Pipistrellus sp., Plecotus sp., Rhinolophus sp. and the species complex Pipistrellus pipistrellus/kuhlii/nathusii. As regards E. nilssonii, Vespertilio murinus (Particoloured Bat), M. alcathoe, M. escalerai, P. macrobullaris and P. pygmaeus, no records were found. These published field data originated from 72 of the 96 departments in metropolitan France. The most commonly cited were Ardèche, Ariège, Bouches-du-Rhône, Haute-Savoie, Maine-et-Loire, Moselle, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Pyrénées-Orientales, Sarthe, Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud.

High Throughput Bioacoustic Monitoring and Phenology of the Greater Noctule Bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) Compared to Other Migratory Species

Conventional monitoring tools are seldom effective for studying the ecology of rare and elusive mammals. In the present study, we use automated ultrasound detectors to provide information about seasonal activity of the greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus), the largest and one of least known European bats. We selected localities within Central Europe with diverse geomorphological contexts, including rivers of different sizes and mountain passes. The study demonstrates the capability of the automatic recording approach to achieve bioacoustic discrimination of this species, but also pointed to the persistent need of integrating results from automatic classification software applications with the feedback from manual approaches. The high throughput capacity of the assay proved to be efficient, and the regular occurrence of the species was identified at two localities. These locations are associated with two known and intensely used migratory corridors of winged animals going through Vltava River valley and Cervenohorske Saddle in Jeseniky mountains, as illustrated also by the activity patterns of other migratory species. Together with the occurrence of spring and autumn peaks in activity, these findings are in concordance with the plesiomorphic condition in pipistrelloid bats, showing also migratory behavior, and represent further indirect evidence of migration of the greater noctule. This pattern could be facilitated by the trophic niche of the species, involving predation of migrating songbirds. Differences in phenology of migratory species observed at particular sites likely mirror position of the locality in relation to migration flyways, seasonal and geographic variation in prey availability and energy demands etc. Further application of bioacoustic monitoring and other tools is necessary to obtain detailed information about the range and movement ecology of the species in higher latitudes.

Highly selective roosting of the giant noctule bat and its astonishing foraging activity by GPS tracking in a mountain environment

The giant noctule, Nyctalus lasiopterus, is the largest and one of the least studied bat species in Europe with decreasing population trend. Due to its rarity, knowledge about its ecology and spatiotemporal activity is very fragmented. During two late-summer seasons, nine individuals were tracked using either radio-transmitters or GPS devices in an isolated population breeding in the Muranska planina Mts (Carpathians, Slovakia), which is an area characterized by distinct mountain landscape considerably different from the main species range. The bats roosted exclusively in mature aspen trees, Populus tremula, with decayed heartwood (n = 20 cavities in 18 trees) and located in sparse unmanaged natural mixed forests. Using GPS tracking technology (15–23 nights for each of three females), we found that the bats have large foraging home ranges (on average a minimum convex polygon 430 km2, average of 95% kernel density estimate of 361 km2) and had long foraging transits (up to ~ 130 km) with large distance from the roosting area (up to ~ 49 km). The bats foraged at altitudes from 1013 to 1308 m a.s.l. (max 2666 m a.s.l.), and from 124 to 367 m (max 1659 m) above ground. Novel information about roosting ecology and the spatiotemporal foraging patterns in a mountain environment is very important for conservation of this enigmatic bat in Central Europe.

Alexandr Sergeyevich Lisetskiy and his collection of bats in the Museum of Nature at V.N.Karazin Kharkiv National University

Aleksandr Sergeyevich Lysetskiy (1919–1991), whose centenary is celebrated this year, was a well-known ornithologist and mammologist and worked for a long time as an associate professor at the Department of Zoology at Kharkiv University. He has been interested in zoology since childhood and has been a young naturalist at the Kharkov Pioneer Palace and in Kharkiv Zoo as early as 1934. A.Lysetskiy started his studies at the biological faculty of KhNU in 1938 and finished it after the Great Patriotic War in 1948. Already in these years (from 1937 to 1947) he, together with his student friend A.Kunichenko, collected bat specimens, which are now stored in the Museum of Nature of KhNU. Since the labels of almost all specimens do not have the names of collectors, this collection was determined by us by comparing all the data (collection numbers, dates etc.) of the samples with the data given in their paper "To the bat fauna (Chiroptera) of Kharkiv region», which was published in 1952. In total, the Museum of Nature collection now has 139 specimens of bats from 18 species, 11 genera and 3 families. The majority – 129 specimens belong to the family Vespertilionidae. Of these, 52 specimens were collected by A.Lisetskiy (together with A.Kunichenko). This material is provided in the comparative table. Of the 9 species of this family represented in their collection, 6 species are representing fifty or more percent of the total number of all specimens stored in the Museum of Nature. These species are: Myotis dasycneme (66.6%), Plecotus auritus (75%), Nyctalus lasiopterus (100%), Nyctalus leisleri (55%), Pipistrellus nathusii (83.3%), Vespertilio murinus (100%). Only these collectors provided specimens of two species: these are the only specimen of Nyctalus lasiopterus and both specimens of Vespertilio murinus. Nowadays, all of these specimens (except Nyctalus lasiopterus, which is on display) are stored in separate boxes in the scientific collection of the museum. We can conclude that the collection of A.Lisetskiy and A.Kunichenko make up the prevailing part of the scientific collection of bats of the Museum of Nature of Kharkiv University.

Paleoenvironmental context of Neanderthal occupations in northeastern Iberia: The small-mammal assemblage from Abric Romaní (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain)

The Abric Romaní site (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain) constitutes a key site for understanding the latest Neanderthal occupations in Western Europe. Here we present a comprehensive systematic and taphonomic analysis of a small-mammal assemblage from Level O of the Abric Romaní site, with the aim of reconstructing the paleoecological context in which the Neanderthals lived. The assemblage, which probably dates from a stadial episode between Interstadial 15 and Interstadial 14, contains fifteen small mammal species, including species uncommon for the northeast of Iberia, such as Sciurus vulgaris, Nyctalus lasiopterus and Pipistrellus pipistrellus. Taphonomic studies suggest a predatory origin for the assemblage, probably related to Strix aluco, and paleoecological inferences suggest lower temperatures (−3/−4 °C) and higher rainfall (+70/+170 mm) than at present and a landscape dominated by an open forest with watercourses. The new data improve our knowledge of trends associated with Marine Isotope Stage 3 that affected Neanderthal populations in the Iberian Peninsula, showing that the Neanderthals were well adapted to cooler and wetter conditions across Iberia.

Dispersal and group formation dynamics in a rare and endangered temperate forest bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus, Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae).

For elusive mammals like bats, colonization of new areas and colony formation are poorly understood, as is their relationship with the genetic structure of populations. Understanding dispersal and group formation behaviors is critical not only for a better comprehension of mammalian social dynamics, but also for guiding conservation efforts of rare and endangered species. Using nuclear and mitochondrial markers, we studied patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation among and within breeding colonies of giant noctule bats (Nyctalus lasiopterus), their relation to a new colony still in formation, and the impact of this ongoing process on the regionwide genetic makeup. Nuclear differentiation among colonies was relatively low and mostly nonsignificant. Mitochondrial variation followed this pattern, contrasting with findings for other temperate bat species. Our results suggest that this may indicate a recent population expansion. On average, female giant noctules were not more closely related to other colony members than to foreign individuals. This was also true for members of the newly forming colony and those of another, older group sampled shortly after its formation, suggesting that contrary to findings for other temperate bats, giant noctule colonies are not founded by relatives. However, mother–daughter pairs were found in the same populations more often than expected under random dispersal. Given this indication of philopatry, the lack of mitochondrial differentiation among most colonies in the region is probably due to the combination of a recent population expansion and group formation events.

Concealed by darkness: interactions between predatory bats and nocturnally migrating songbirds illuminated by DNA sequencing.

Recently, several species of aerial-hawking bats have been found to prey on migrating songbirds, but details on this behaviour and its relevance for bird migration are still unclear. We sequenced avian DNA in feather-containing scats of the bird-feeding bat Nyctalus lasiopterus from Spain collected during bird migration seasons. We found very high prey diversity, with 31 bird species from eight families of Passeriformes, almost all of which were nocturnally flying sub-Saharan migrants. Moreover, species using tree hollows or nest boxes in the study area during migration periods were not present in the bats' diet, indicating that birds are solely captured on the wing during night-time passage. Additional to a generalist feeding strategy, we found that bats selected medium-sized bird species, thereby assumingly optimizing their energetic cost-benefit balance and injury risk. Surprisingly, bats preyed upon birds half their own body mass. This shows that the 5% prey to predator body mass ratio traditionally assumed for aerial hunting bats does not apply to this hunting strategy or even underestimates these animals' behavioural and mechanical abilities. Considering the bats' generalist feeding strategy and their large prey size range, we suggest that nocturnalbat predation may have influenced the evolution of bird migration strategies and behaviour.

Árboles viejos como indicadores de biodiversidad de vertebrados forestales amenazados de la provincia de Salamanca (España)

Ancient trees abundance has been compared with distribution of threatened forest vertebrate species at the province of Salamanca (Spain). A significant correlation between both parameters has been observed for the following considered species: imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti), black vulture (Aegypus monachus), iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), red kite (Milvus milvus) and a group of forest bats (Miniopterus schreibersii, Myotis bechsteinii, Myotis emarginatus, Myotis mystacinus, Myotis myotis, Nyctalus lasiopterus, Nyctalus noctula, Rhinolophus euryale, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum y Rhinolophus mehelyi). It has been proved that there is an increase of threatened forest vertebrates biodiversity along with increasing ancient trees density at the municipalities of the province. Therefore, we can deduce that ancient trees density is a good indicator parameter of the conservation status of the forest ecosystem and it is essential for the maintenance of these endangered species.

Structure of summer bat assemblages in forests in European Russia

We used mist-netting to study summer bat assemblages in 3 state nature biosphere reserves in the European part of Russia from 26 June to 29 July 2013: Oksky, Ryazan region (54°44'N, 40°54'E); Voronezhsky, Voronezh region (51°55'N, 39°38'E); and "Bryansky Les", Bryansk region (52°27'N, 33°53'E). The main research efforts were in locations where Nyctalus lasiopterus had been captured in the past. In total, 1229 specimens of 12 bat species (Myotis daubentonii, M. dasycneme, M. brandtii, M. mystacinus, Nyctalus noctula, N. lasiopterus, N. leisleri, Eptesicus serotinus, Pipistrellus nathusii, P. pygmaeus, Vespertilio murinus, and Plecotus auritus) were caught. N. lasiopterus (a female subadult) was confirmed only in the Voronezhsky Reserve. The bat assemblages could be classified as forest-dwelling and dominated by long-distance migratory species (genera Nyctalus, Pipistrellus, and Vespertilio). Females also dominated and breeding was recorded for most of the species. The highest bat abundance (b/h index: 4.54) was in the Voronezhsky Reserve (the most southeasterly location) and the lowest (b/h index: 1.75) was in "Bryansky Les" (the most southwesterly location). The Shannon-Wiener index was higher in the Voronezhsky and Oksky Reserves but the evenness index was similar for all reserves. Bat assemblage structure in strictly protected forest areas (such as the Voronezhsky Reserve) has been stable for decades.

Overview of bat species reported in Albania with the first country records for eight species

The bat fauna of Albania, a country located in a Balkan glacial refugium and a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot, has remained poorly studied although as many as 21 species and representatives of three species complexes had been reported before 2003. It was expected that several new species would be added to the country’s list of fauna, not only due to their occurrence in adjacent regions but to the splitting of already known taxa into sibling species and the discovery of new, cryptic species. Altogether, we recorded 32 bat species in Albania, including all of those previously reported (21) and 11 new species for the country, as a result of field work conducted in 2003–2012. Here, we report on eight bat species including Rhinolophus mehelyi, Nyctalus lasiopterus, Plecotus kolombatovici, Barbastella barbastellus, Myotis brandtii that had not been reported previously in Albania while three species (Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Plecotus austriacus, Myotis mystacinus) had been reported before changes to their taxonomy and so could be treated only as representatives of a particular species complex (i.e. sensu lato). We greatly extended the known geographic ranges of five species in the south of Europe.

First confirmations of the greater noctule bat <i>Nyctalus lasiopterus</i> (Schreber, 1780) presence in Slovenia after more than 85 years

During a transect count using ultrasound detectors within the framework of the national bat monitoring scheme, three foraging Nyctalus lasiopterus were observed on 27. 6. 2014, and eventually confirmed by an analysis of their echolocation calls recorded in the forest clearing Šetinov laz near the hamlet of Leskova dolina close to Mt. Snežnik in southern Slovenia. The re-examination of recordings made at the same site during 15 other transect counts in the 2007–2014 period revealed that N. lasiopterus was also present there on 14. 10. 2013. These observations are the first confirmations of this rare species’ occurrence in over 85 years, and opens up questions about the regular presence of N. lasiopterus in Slovenia.

C-heterochromatin and NORs distribution in karyotypes of three vespertilionid bat species from Turkey

AbstractThe chromosomal banding analysis of the karyotypes of Turkish populations of Eptesicus serotinus, Nyctalus lasiopterus and Barbastellus barbastellus was performed with the use of C-banding and Ag-NOR staining. The results obtained in E. serotinus and N. lasiopterus were congruent with previous data reported from other regions. The karyotype of E. serotinus (2n = 50, NF = 52) contained a moderate amount of centromeric C-heterochromatin and a single NOR was localized in an acrocentric autosomal pairs. The karyotype of N. lasiopterus (2n = 42, NF = 54) contained a higher amount of centromeric C-heterochromatin and the NORs were localized in two autosomal pairs. The karyotype of B. barbastellus was standard in its general characteristics (2n = 32, NF = 54, low amount of C-heterochromatin) but the NOR was localized in only one acrocentric autosomal pair. In studies from other regions, the NORs were recognized in all five acrocentric autosomal pairs of the complement of B. barbastellus.

A Molecular Approach to the Study of Avian DNA in Bat Faeces

The molecular identification of prey in faeces is an efficient non-invasive technique to study diet which requires both a satisfactory method of DNA extraction and the design of specific primers to selectively amplify prey's DNA. In this study we evaluated and compared the efficiency of two total DNA extraction methods and five primer pairs for the molecular identification of birds from scats, in particular from the giant noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus). A modified DNA stool Mini Kit of Qiagen was tested against a modified silica method with a guanidinium thiocianate (GuSCN) applied after freezing and pulverizing the samples. We also checked two published vertebrate- and bird-generalist primer pairs and three bird-specific primer pairs designed by us (two pairs targeting the cytochrome b and one the cytochrome oxidase subunit I genes) that amplified shorter DNA fragments. The results show that pulverizing the scat remains before extraction was a very important step, presumably facilitating access to the well preserved DNA located inside the rachis of the feathers. The combination of our bird-specific designed primers showed a higher amplification rate than the generalist primers and allowed successful bird identification from the feathers excreted by the giant noctule bat in all the scat samples analyzed, independent of the preservation method used (dried and frozen). These methodological improvements will allow not only the study of the avian diet composition of the enigmatic giant noctule, but the extension of this methodology to other bird predators such as raptors.