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Bare-rumped Pouched Bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus)

The Bare-rumped Pouched Bat is a tropical, hollow-roosting microbat found in northern Australia, including Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Clearing of mature or dead hollow-bearing trees, disturbance of roosts and removal of woodland, forest or water-associated foraging habitat can affect the species on development sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Endangered.

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Near threatened.

Breeding season

Seasonal knowledge is limited. Many Australian records were collected from August to April, but the documents do not establish a confirmed breeding season or regular migration pattern.

Seasonal information is incomplete. Survey timing should be adjusted to local records, weather, habitat condition and the proposed clearing method.

  • Breeding: Breeding season is not established. Females produce a single young per litter. August to December are marked as possible presence months because many records fall between August and April, not because peak breeding has been demonstrated.
  • Young: The timing of births and dependency is not documented. Young may be present during the August to April period in which many records were collected, but no peak period is established.
  • Movement or dispersal: Regular seasonal migration is not documented. Records from August to April provide the main evidence for seasonal presence in the survey guidance. The species is otherwise considered widespread across suitable northern habitats.
  • Highest clearing risk: Avoid assuming low risk outside August to April. The survey guidance recommends this period for surveys, and clearing at any time can remove hollow roosts or harm bats. Risk is marked for August to April because species presence is documented then, not because a confirmed breeding peak is known.

Identification

This is a medium-sized sheath-tailed bat with long, narrow wings and a throat pouch. External identification can be difficult, particularly where it occurs with the Yellow-bellied Sheathtail-bat.

The upperparts are usually dark reddish brown or blackish brown, often with irregular white flecks or patches. The underparts are usually white, although a dark-brown colour phase occurs. The wings are black with translucent whitish areas and the species has a poorly developed radio-metacarpal wing pouch and a distinct glandular throat pouch.

The Australian form is described as having a bare rump, but Northern Territory and Kimberley individuals may lack an obviously bare rump and may have uniform dark fur. The throat pouch is present in males and rudimentary in females.

Head and body: 8 to 9 cm

Forearm: About 7 cm overall. Northern Territory specimens 77.1 to 80.0 mm, Queensland specimens 72.3 to 77.2 mm.

Wingspan: About 45 cm

Weight: Kimberley specimens ranged from about 38.2 to 45.0 g where weights were available.

Identification: Distinguishing similar bats

It is not readily distinguishable in flight from several other sheath-tailed bats, including Taphozous australis, T. troughtoni, T. georgianus and possibly T. kapalgensis.

Saccolaimus saccolaimus and the Yellow-bellied Sheathtail-bat, S. flaviventris, can be difficult to separate from external characters alone. Some individuals require genetic confirmation, so any captured Saccolaimus should be measured carefully and, where authorised and appropriate, tissue sampled for verification.

  • Do not rely on a bare rump alone, because some Northern Territory and Kimberley individuals lack this feature.
  • Use the combination of body measurements, fur pattern, rump condition, throat pouch and locality.
  • Treat acoustic identifications cautiously where S. flaviventris and Chaerephon jobensis occur. Reference call libraries and experienced analysis are needed.

Identification: Calls and field signs

Search-mode echolocation calls have a curvilinear or slant-dished pulse shape. Australian reference calls have characteristic frequencies from 19.4 to 23.4 kHz, with a mean of 20.8 kHz in the survey guidance. Kimberley sequences averaged about 20.3 kHz, while Queensland sequences averaged about 23.1 kHz.

The calls may include an audible component, and the species can be detected high above the ground. Direct signs at a site are more likely to be roosting bats, photographs or captured animals than tracks, scats, nests or other ground signs.

Kimberley survey result: Echolocation sequences were assigned to the species at 40 of 173 recording sites.

  • Use full-spectrum or suitable ultrasonic detectors from dusk through the night where the species may occur.
  • Record the call sequence and assess it against verified regional reference calls rather than identifying a single pulse in isolation.
  • Inspect hollow-bearing trees, dead stags and large fallen trees for roosting bats before felling or relocation.

Distribution: Australian range

In Australia, the Bare-rumped Pouched Bat occurs in the tropical north. Records are sparse in some regions because the species is difficult to distinguish acoustically and externally from similar bats.

The documented Australian range includes north-eastern Queensland, the Top End of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The survey guidance recorded 19 Australian localities at the time of preparation, with most records from Queensland.

The Kimberley study detected the species in all five Kimberley bioregions: Northern Kimberley, Central Kimberley, Dampierland, Ord-Victoria Plains and Victoria-Bonaparte. Records came from both landward environments and mangrove communities.

  • Queensland: north-eastern Queensland, including the Townsville and Cape Tribulation regions cited in the documents.
  • Northern Territory: the Top End, including coastal and adjacent inland areas.
  • Western Australia: the Kimberley, including coastal, inland, riparian, mangrove, woodland and upland sites.

Distribution: Strongholds and population information

The Kimberley appears to support a widespread western Australian population or connected set of populations. The species was detected across all five Kimberley bioregions and across sub-humid and semi-arid environments.

A reliable national population estimate is not provided. The available documents describe few museum specimens and limited knowledge of range limits and habitat associations. The species' apparent distribution may therefore expand as acoustic identification improves.

Kimberley detection frequency: 40 of 173 detector sites, or about 23 percent of sampled sites.

Kimberley bioregions: All five sampled bioregions.

Known Australian population size: Not established in the cited documents.

Population trend: Not quantified in the cited documents.

Habitat: Vegetation and climate

The species uses tropical woodland, open forest and other open environments, including riparian and coastal habitats. It can occur in both humid and semi-arid parts of northern Australia.

Recorded or inferred habitats include Eucalyptus woodland, open forest, lowland tropical rainforest, littoral forest, mangroves, paperbark woodland, riparian forest, savanna woodland and pindan on sandplains.

Known Queensland habitats include poplar gum woodland and Darwin stringybark woodland. Northern Territory records include Darwin woollybutt, Eucalyptus miniata, woodland. Kimberley detections covered tropical woodlands and savannas on sandstone and limestone uplands, ranges and gorges, as well as coastal and riparian vegetation.

Australian climate zone: High-rainfall tropical regions, with records extending into semi-arid Kimberley environments.

Kimberley rainfall context: The sampled Kimberley spans about 400 to 1,500 mm of annual rainfall.

Recorded elevation context: The species has been heard at up to 2,000 m in mountainous areas in the broader distribution account.

Habitat: Structural features

Suitable sites include mature trees with hollows, dead standing trees and large fallen trees, particularly where these occur within or near woodland, open forest, riparian vegetation, rainforest edges, mangroves or other open flying spaces.

Water sources can be important survey locations because high-flying Saccolaimus may be encountered there. Retaining hollow-bearing trees and connected flight space is therefore relevant when planning clearing and infrastructure.

  • Map all live and dead hollow-bearing trees before clearing.
  • Check riparian corridors, waterholes and woodland edges as potential movement and foraging areas.
  • Include nearby retained vegetation and off-site habitat when assessing the effect of removing a hollow-bearing tree or woodland patch.

Foraging habitat: Diet and hunting behaviour

The Bare-rumped Pouched Bat is an open-air aerial insectivore. It generally hunts above the canopy or in broad open spaces rather than within dense continuous forest.

The diet consists of aerial insects. Termite swarms are used when available.

Individuals emerge early and may hunt with swiftlets about 15 to 40 m above the ground. The species is adapted for open-air foraging and has been observed flying in wide circles over several hundred metres.

Typical observed hunting height: About 15 to 40 m above the ground in observations from the broader species account.

Foraging scale: Wide circles over several hundred metres.

Known prey example: Termites in swarms.

  • Prioritise surveys over open woodland, forest edges, clearings, riparian vegetation, water sources and above the canopy.
  • Sample termite-swarm areas when present, while recognising that prey availability varies between nights.
  • Avoid treating cleared land as unsuitable without survey evidence, because open areas may be used as flight and foraging space.

Foraging habitat: Habitat used while feeding

Kimberley detections occurred over woodlands, savannas, mangroves, paperbark woodland, pindan, riparian forest, rainforest and upland country. The species foraged over all major ecosystems sampled in that study.

The species is not commonly heard hunting over continuous forest in the broader account, which supports targeting open flight paths, edges and canopy gaps during acoustic surveys.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding information is limited. The available evidence indicates that breeding depends on secure tree or other enclosed roosts rather than exposed nests.

Females give birth to a single young per litter. The documents do not provide a confirmed Australian mating period, gestation length, age at maturity or lifespan.

Roosting colonies have been recorded in hollow trees and dead or fallen trees, so breeding habitat should be assessed wherever hollow-bearing trees are proposed for removal.

Breeding season: Not established in the cited documents. Many records were collected from August to April.

Litter size: One young per litter.

Gestation: Not stated in the cited documents.

Age at maturity: Not stated in the cited documents.

Lifespan: Not stated in the cited documents.

Breeding habitat: Breeding-site features

Potential breeding sites include tree hollows with entrances high above the ground. Queensland records include roosts in poplar gum and Darwin stringybark, with entrances about 7 m above ground. A Northern Territory colony was found in a large fallen tree.

The species may leave a roost after minimal disturbance, so tree inspection, staged clearing and fauna spotter controls should be planned before hollow-bearing trees are felled.

  • Retain hollow-bearing live trees, dead stags and large fallen trees wherever practicable.
  • Inspect potential roost trees before clearing, including trees with entrances around 7 m above ground.
  • Stop work and obtain ecological advice if bats are found in a hollow, dead tree, fallen tree or artificial structure.

Sheltering habitat: Known and potential roosts

The species is mainly associated with enclosed roosts, especially tree hollows. Roosts can contain small groups or larger colonies, and bats may be highly sensitive to disturbance.

Known or reported roosts include hollow trees, dead standing trees, large fallen trees and, in the broader species account, rock crevices and buildings. The Australian survey guidance considers the species an obligate hollow-roosting species, although it also records possible use of caves and rock crevices.

Queensland roosts were recorded in poplar gum and Darwin stringybark. One colony of up to 15 occupied a dead stag, and a colony of 40 occupied a large fallen tree in the Northern Territory.

Recorded colony size: Up to 15 individuals in a dead stag and 40 individuals in a large fallen tree.

Roost entrance height: About 7 m above ground in two Queensland roost reports.

Roost substrate: Hollow trees, dead trees and large fallen trees, with possible use of buildings, caves and rock crevices.

  • Search hollow-bearing trees, dead stags, large fallen trees, buildings, caves and rock crevices within the clearing footprint.
  • Give particular attention to hollows with entrances several metres above ground and to trees near open flight space.
  • Do not assume that a tree is unused because bats are not visible during a daytime inspection.

Sheltering habitat: Disturbance response

The species is alert at the roost and may move around the roost substrate when disturbed. One observation reported that bats quickly vacated the roost after minimal disturbance.

Tree removal can therefore cause direct mortality if bats are present, as well as loss of a roost that may be difficult to replace in the short term.

  • Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher for clearing of potential roost trees.
  • Where a roost is found, pause work and establish an exclusion and management approach before disturbance resumes.
  • Record the tree species, condition, hollow entrance height and colony size for each occupied or potentially occupied roost.

Threats: Clearing and habitat removal

The clearest project-related risks are loss of hollow-bearing roost trees, removal of woodland and forest foraging habitat, and disturbance during clearing. The cited documents do not provide species-specific evidence for disease, road mortality, fire or introduced predators.

Removal of woodland, forest, riparian vegetation, mangroves or open flight habitat can reduce roosting and foraging opportunities. A Commonwealth assessment found a real chance that removal of up to 33 ha of habitat could adversely affect habitat critical to the survival of the species.

The same assessment noted that the site could contain tree hollows used for roosting and that cleared land might also provide foraging habitat. Habitat assessment should therefore include both vegetated and cleared parts of a project area.

Documented project impact example: Removal of up to 33 ha was assessed as having a real chance of adversely affecting habitat critical to the species' survival.

  • Avoid clearing mature and dead hollow-bearing trees.
  • Map and retain riparian corridors, woodland edges, canopy gaps and open flight paths where practicable.
  • Assess the indirect effect of removing a roost tree on nearby foraging habitat and movement routes.
  • Do not discount previously cleared ground without considering its position beside woodland, water or other open-air flight habitat.

Threats: Roost disturbance and direct harm

Felling, branch removal, vibration, lighting or repeated access near an occupied roost may cause bats to leave or may injure bats during tree removal. The species has been reported to vacate roosts after minimal disturbance.

Uncertainty is increased by the difficulty of detecting bats in high hollows and by confusion with other Saccolaimus species.

  • Complete targeted acoustic surveys and hollow-tree inspections before clearing where suitable habitat is present.
  • Use staged clearing and allow an ecologist to inspect felled or partly felled hollow-bearing trees before they are moved or mulched.
  • Retain fallen hollow logs where safe and practicable, because large fallen trees have supported colonies.

Threats: Survey and assessment risks

The species can be missed because its calls overlap with those of sympatric bats and because external features may be inconclusive. The survey guidance states that if suitable habitat is present and an appropriate survey is not undertaken, the department may apply the precautionary principle and assume presence.

A single negative detector night should not be treated as proof that the species is absent where hollow trees, water sources, woodland or open flight space remain.

  • Use regional reference calls and experienced acoustic analysts.
  • Survey water sources, woodland edges and open airspace above the canopy, not only dense vegetation.
  • Plan surveys between August and April where possible, while recognising that seasonal movements and detectability are poorly known.

Threats: Other pressures

The cited documents do not provide species-specific evidence on road mortality, fire, predators, disease, fragmentation effects or hydrology change. These pressures should be considered where they remove hollow trees, alter roost conditions or reduce insect-rich foraging habitat, but their effects should not be assumed without site evidence.

  • Check whether altered drainage, flooding or water loss could affect roost trees, riparian vegetation or insect prey.
  • Assess fire risk where hollow-bearing trees or dead stags are retained near construction areas.
  • Record any injured, dead or diseased bats and obtain advice from the relevant wildlife authority or veterinarian.

Survey methodology: 1. Desk assessment and habitat inspection

Survey this high-flying, hollow-roosting bat before clearing where suitable woodland, forest, water sources or potential roost trees occur. Acoustic detection is the main practical method because the species is difficult to distinguish from other Saccolaimus in flight and has rarely been captured.

Map hollow-bearing trees, dead trees, riparian vegetation, woodland, forest edges, open areas, water sources and movement corridors before selecting survey points.

Treat water sources as potential detection locations because high-flying Saccolaimus saccolaimus may be encountered there.

Review museum, state database and protected matters records within and near the project area, and inspect aerial imagery and previous survey reports.

Survey methodology: 2. Ultrasonic detection

Deploy calibrated full-spectrum or suitable zero-crossing bat detectors from dusk until dawn at water sources, forest edges, open areas, riparian vegetation and likely flight paths.

Use the species reference calls and an experienced analyst to separate Saccolaimus saccolaimus from S. flaviventris and Chaerephon jobensis.

Do not rely on an acoustic identification alone where the call overlaps with other sheath-tailed bats, and retain recordings for independent review.

Documented Kimberley detection rate: 40 of 173 recording sites

Documented Kimberley distribution: All five Kimberley bioregions

Typical Australian reference call frequency: 19.4 to 23.4 kHz, mean 20.8 kHz

Queensland reference call frequency: Mean 23.1 kHz

  • Sample across the main habitat types and at locations with clear airspace above the canopy, because the species is an open-air, high-flying forager.
  • Use several survey nights and repeat the survey where weather, detector failure or excessive background noise reduces the chance of detection.
  • Plan surveys between August and April, when most known records were collected, unless project risk assessment supports additional seasonal work.

Survey methodology: 3. Water-source and open-air observations

Conduct detector surveys around dams, tanks, watercourses and other water sources where the species may fly above the canopy.

Use spotlighting only as a supplementary method because the species generally forages high above the ground and may be difficult to observe directly.

Record weather, wind, rain, detector position, start and finish times, habitat, water availability and any competing noise for every survey night.

  • Do not infer absence from a quiet ground-level site or from a failed trapping attempt.
  • Use visual observations to help confirm flight height, open-air foraging and movement routes, but retain acoustic evidence as the primary record.

Survey methodology: 4. Capture and roost investigation

Do not make mist-netting or harp trapping the primary detection method, as harp traps have not successfully captured this species and it is a high-flying bat.

Inspect hollow-bearing trees, dead trees, fallen trees, buildings, caves and rock crevices for potential roosting habitat without disturbing occupied roosts.

Use capture, tissue sampling or genetic confirmation only under the required animal ethics, wildlife and landholder approvals, and only by suitably authorised personnel.

Known roost feature: Hollow trees, including dead trees and large fallen trees

Reported colony sizes: Up to 15 individuals in one Queensland roost, and 40 in one Northern Territory fallen tree

Typical roost entrance height in reported Queensland records: About 7 metres above ground

  • Stop investigating a suspected roost if bats show signs of disturbance, and refer the observation to the project ecologist.
  • Treat all Saccolaimus captures as requiring careful identification because S. saccolaimus and S. flaviventris can be difficult to separate morphologically.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a qualified bat ecologist to set the number and placement of detectors after reviewing the site, habitat and project footprint.
  • Survey during suitable weather, avoid rain and strong wind where they reduce detector performance, and repeat nights when equipment failure or poor conditions compromise detection.
  • Store original call files, detector settings, site coordinates, photographs, field sheets and the identification rationale.
  • Report confirmed records, probable records and important roost or flight-path observations to the relevant state or territory wildlife database.
  • Provide the survey report, raw acoustic files and any genetic or capture records to the approval authority where required.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid clearing suitable roosting and foraging habitat wherever practicable. The species may use hollow trees, fallen trees, woodland, forest edges, open airspace and water sources, including habitat that is not obvious from ground inspection.

  • Retain hollow-bearing live trees, dead trees, large fallen trees, riparian vegetation, woodland and forest edges within and beside the work area.
  • Retain water sources and the vegetation and open flight paths around them where practicable.
  • Maintain connected woodland, riparian vegetation and movement routes between retained habitat patches.
  • Avoid removing a suspected occupied roost until a bat ecologist has assessed it and the relevant approval conditions have been met.
  • Keep clearing to the approved footprint and prevent machinery, spoil, lighting and vehicle access from spreading into retained habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Check the current EPBC Act status for the relevant taxon and determine whether referral or approval is required before taking the action.
  • Check state or territory threatened-species listings, wildlife permits, animal ethics requirements and fauna handling authorisations before work starts.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey results, habitat to retain, clearing limits, spotter catcher responsibilities, stop-work triggers and reporting lines.
  • Schedule the most disruptive clearing outside the recommended August to April survey period where the project risk assessment supports seasonal timing, while recognising that roosting bats may be present at any time.
  • Stage clearing so retained habitat and flight routes remain available while each work area is checked and released.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection and targeted acoustic survey of habitat that will be disturbed.
  • Mark hollow-bearing trees, dead trees, large fallen trees, potential roost structures, water sources, riparian vegetation and no-go areas on the ground and project plans.
  • Install exclusion fencing around retained habitat, water sources and marked trees where it will prevent machinery or storage encroachment.
  • Brief machinery operators and the fauna spotter catcher on the marked limits, daily clearance sequence, communication method and stop-work procedure.
  • Confirm a licensed wildlife carer or veterinarian, transport container, first aid materials and suitable nearby release habitat before clearing begins.

During habitat disturbance: Daily clearance controls

Clear in small, controlled areas under direct ecological supervision. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to stop machinery whenever a bat, potential roost or unexpected habitat feature is identified.

  • Hold a pre-start briefing each day covering the approved footprint, marked habitat, weather, machinery sequence and emergency contacts.
  • Inspect the work area before machinery enters it, including trees, fallen timber, rock crevices, buildings, culverts and water edges.
  • Work from disturbed areas towards retained habitat where practicable, giving animals an opportunity to move into safe retained vegetation.
  • Keep the fauna spotter catcher within sight and communication range of the active clearing front and ensure machinery operators can stop immediately.
  • Do not fell or push a hollow-bearing tree until the spotter catcher and ecologist have completed the required inspection and released it.

During habitat disturbance: Handling habitat and animals

  • Stop work and establish an exclusion zone if a bat, occupied hollow, roosting group or injured animal is found.
  • Do not handle the bat unless the person is authorised, trained and equipped for bat work, including appropriate disease and bite-risk controls.
  • Keep people, machinery and dogs away from the animal and allow an uninjured bat to leave naturally where it can do so safely.
  • If relocation is approved and necessary, place the bat in nearby retained habitat with suitable cover and flight access, using a licensed handler and an agreed release location.
  • Send an injured, grounded or heat-stressed bat to a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer as soon as practicable, and record the transfer.
  • Handle hollow-bearing trees, logs and other retained habitat features under the fauna management plan, and do not move a feature suspected to contain a bat until it has been checked.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop the affected clearing area if a bat is found, a potential roost is exposed, a tree collapses unexpectedly, exclusion fencing is breached or clearing moves outside the approved footprint.
  • Stop work during rain, strong wind, smoke, unsafe heat or other conditions that prevent safe fauna detection or handling.
  • Record the date, time, location, species or identification confidence, habitat feature, action taken, handler, release or treatment location and photographic or acoustic evidence.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and ecologist immediately, and notify the approval authority where the approval or management plan requires it.
  • Restart only after the ecologist has assessed the risk, the feature has been managed and the stop-work release has been documented.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Check the cleared area and retained habitat before demobilising the fauna team. Maintain the habitat controls needed to protect remaining roosts, flight paths and water sources during construction and operation.

  • Inspect the cleared area, retained trees, fallen timber, rock features, buildings, culverts and water edges for grounded, trapped or injured bats.
  • Complete a final acoustic check of retained habitat and suspected flight paths where clearing removed potential roost or foraging habitat.
  • Confirm that exclusion fencing, no-go markers and retained habitat buffers remain intact after earthworks and construction access.
  • Remove or secure construction materials, trenches, pipes and other structures that could trap bats or block movement.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained hollow-bearing trees, dead trees, known or suspected roosts, water sources and movement corridors during the construction period.
  • Repeat detector surveys where the project removed potential roost trees, changed water availability, altered lighting or affected a known record location.
  • Report all confirmed records, relocations, injuries, mortalities, roost disturbances, cleared habitat areas and management breaches to the project environmental officer and relevant authorities.
  • Update the fauna management plan if monitoring identifies continued use of retained habitat or an unexpected impact.

After habitat disturbance: Ongoing controls and offsets

  • Maintain no-go areas, retained vegetation, water-source controls and lighting controls for the duration of construction and operation where required by approval conditions.
  • Prevent stockpiling, drainage changes, artificial lighting and vehicle access from degrading retained roosting or foraging habitat.
  • Apply any approved offset, habitat protection or restoration measure for unavoidable significant impacts, and document its location, tenure, management actions and monitoring results.

Rehabilitation actions: Roost and foraging habitat

Rehabilitation should restore hollow-bearing and fallen-tree habitat, open flight space and insect-rich woodland around water sources. Allow for the long time needed for planted trees to develop hollows by protecting existing mature and dead trees wherever possible.

  • Retain existing hollow-bearing live trees, dead trees and large fallen trees within rehabilitation areas wherever safe.
  • Replant locally appropriate woodland and forest species that match the pre-clearing community, including Eucalyptus and Melaleuca where they are characteristic of the site.
  • Protect planted trees from browsing, fire, weeds, machinery and soil compaction until established.
  • Where approved by the ecologist, install artificial hollows or nest boxes in retained trees as a supplementary measure, not as a substitute for retaining natural hollows.
  • Reinstate suitable fallen timber and retain natural debris where it does not create a safety or bushfire hazard.

Rehabilitation actions: Water, flight paths and threats

  • Restore riparian vegetation and keep water sources available where they formed part of the pre-clearing habitat.
  • Maintain open flight space above woodland edges and water sources, and avoid new lights directed at retained vegetation or water.
  • Control weeds and feral predators around retained and rehabilitated habitat using methods approved for the site.
  • Manage fire in accordance with the local fire regime and approval conditions, protecting hollow-bearing trees, dead trees and developing woodland from damaging high-intensity fire.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Recommended survey season in the species account: August to April

Documented habitat use: Woodlands, savannas, rainforest, mangroves, riparian forests, forest edges and open airspace above the canopy

Documented Kimberley survey result: Detected at 40 of 173 sites across all five bioregions

  • Monitor planted tree survival, natural regeneration, hollow and fallen-tree retention, water availability, weed cover and predator activity.
  • Use repeat ultrasonic detector surveys during August to April to test whether the species continues to use restored flight paths and water sources.
  • Investigate any decline in detections, roost loss, tree mortality or water-source change and implement corrective actions.
  • Define success using site-specific approval targets for retained habitat, tree establishment, water condition, weed control and confirmed bat use, and report results to the relevant authority.

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