Bat sightings on Kapiti Island, New Zealand, 1906–1969

Sightings by residents and visitors to Kapiti from 1906-1969 indicate one small colony of bats with a steady population of about 12 located south of Rangatira. The flight pattern. times of emergence and the lack of sightings during winter suggest that the long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus Forster) may be the only species present. The 1907 report by Cockayne that the long-eared bat was abundant is taken as a misprint for long-tailed bat and not the rarer short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata Gray). The continued survival of bats in the presence of high numbers of Rattus norvegicus, R. exulans and Trichosurus vulpecula and in a changing forest environment, is briefly discussed.