Wildlifeof Nepal
Painted Bat
Bats
Photo: (c) Ameet Mandavia, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Kerivoula picta
Basic stats
Diet
Small insects, caught in flight, using the tail membrane as a net
Habitat
Old weaver and sunbird nests, banana leaves and hut eaves
Range
Bangladesh, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam
Litter size
One
Size
Body 3–5.5cm; tail 3–5.5cm; wingspan 18–30cm
Weight
About 5g
The painted bat is a tiny bat, about 5g, with body and tail each 3 to 5.5cm and a wingspan of 18 to 30cm. 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. One was thought extinct until rediscovered after 133 years in Bangladesh in 2021. Nationally Least Concern (Nepal National Red List 2011).
Quick answers
- What does the Painted Bat eat?
- Small insects, caught in flight, using the tail membrane as a net
- What habitat does the Painted Bat live in?
- Old weaver and sunbird nests, banana leaves and hut eaves
- Where is the Painted Bat found?
- Bangladesh, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam
- What is the litter size of the Painted Bat?
- One
- How big is the Painted Bat?
- Body 3–5.5cm; tail 3–5.5cm; wingspan 18–30cm
- How much does the Painted Bat weigh?
- About 5g