THE DIETS OF BRITISH BATS (CHIROPTERA)

Sixty-one studies of the diets of 15 species of bats found in the Brit ish Isles are reviewed. Fourteen studies describe the diets of more th an one species. Barbastella barbastellus and Plecotus spp. eat mainly Lepidoptera. Eptesicus serotinus takes mainly Coleoptera, but feeds on a wide range of prey, found in several habitats. Rhinolophus ferrumeq uinum hunts mainly Coleoptera and Lepidoptera by hawking, gleaning and perch hunting. Myotis bechsteinii takes mostly woodland families of D iptera and Lepidoptera. The remaining nine species eat mainly Diptera. Myotis nattereri feeds almost entirely on diurnal Diptera, gleaned fr om their nightly resting places. Rhinolophus hipposideros and Myotis m ystacinus take mostly swarming crepuscular Diptera by hawking, probabl y near water and in damp wooded areas; both also glean. Myotis brandti i feeds on Diptera by hawking and gleaning; Nyctalus noctula by hawkin g. Myotis daubentonii, Pipistrellus spp. and Nyctalus leisleri eat man y aquatic Diptera, and may therefore be expected to feed close to fres hwater habitats. M. daubentonii hunts by trawling aquatic Diptera from the surface of water.