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Pygmy Long-eared Bat (Nyctophilus walkeri)

The Pygmy Long-eared Bat is a small Australian microbat recorded in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia. It uses roosting and feeding habitat near permanent water, and works can affect shared roosts or maternity colonies. It is listed as least concern, but in Queensland tampering with the breeding place of this colonial breeder requires a high risk species management program under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020.

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Colonial breeder. Least concern in Queensland, but it breeds in colonies, so tampering with a breeding place needs a high risk species management program rather than the low risk program.

Breeding season

The Pygmy Long-eared Bat is poorly known, so its breeding calendar is best treated as a general microbat pattern. Breeding is expected in the warmer months, usually spring to late summer, with timing varying between the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia and between years.

Breeding mode: Live-bearing mammal. Females give birth to young in a maternity roost or other breeding place.

Litter size: Usually one pup a year for microbats. A species-specific litter size is not recorded.

Gestation: Not recorded.

Fledging or weaning: Not recorded. Dependent pups are expected during the warmer breeding months.

Breeding frequency: Usually one litter a year for microbats, generally in the warmer months.

Breeding places: Roosts may include tree hollows, fissures, loose bark, caves, mines, culverts, bridges and buildings. This species has also been observed roosting in palms and pandanus thickets.

Colony size and site fidelity: Typical colony sizes and site fidelity are not recorded. Treat any shared maternity roost as a possible breeding place until survey evidence shows otherwise.

Breeding timing can shift between years and regions, so confirm local conditions with acoustic surveys, emergence watches and targeted roost inspections before clearing.

  • Mating and maternity preparation: Mating and preparation of maternity roosts are expected during the warmer part of the year.
  • Births and dependent pups: Births and dependent pups are most likely from spring to late summer, although the exact timing is not recorded for this species.
  • Maternity roost and colony use: A maternity roost may be in a hollow, fissure, loose bark, cave, mine, culvert, bridge or building, and any roost where young are raised is a breeding place.
  • Nightly foraging and roosting activity: Expect activity throughout the year, with bats hunting near water and using sheltered roosts during the day.
  • Highest clearing risk: The highest risk is spring to late summer, when clearing can harm pregnant or lactating females, dependent pups and shared maternity roosts.

Identification: Appearance

The Pygmy Long-eared Bat is a small insect-eating microbat. Species-level identification can be difficult in the field, particularly when bats are seen briefly or in flight, so use a combination of habitat, trapping, photography and acoustic records.

The species has the long ears associated with the genus Nyctophilus and a small microbat body. A clear view is often needed to separate it from other small vesper bats.

Do not rely on a quick view of a flying bat for identification. A suitably qualified ecologist should confirm records from close photographs, a captured animal where authorised, or a combination of diagnostic evidence.

Identification: Calls and similar species

The Pygmy Long-eared Bat uses ultrasonic echolocation calls that cannot be heard reliably by people. Species-specific call information is limited, and call identification can overlap with other microbats.

An Anabat or similar full-spectrum or zero-crossing detector can help identify activity and guide further survey. Acoustic records should be interpreted by a person familiar with local microbat assemblages.

  • Compare acoustic results with habitat, timing and any trapping or roost inspection results.
  • Treat an uncertain acoustic identification as a possible record until it has been checked.

Identification: Field signs

Droppings may occur below a roost entrance, on ledges, in tree hollows or around structures. Fresh guano can indicate recent use, but droppings alone do not confirm a maternity roost.

Bats do not build nests. Whitewash, stains, odour and concentrated guano can help locate a frequently used roost, although signs may be faint in trees, palms, pandanus and open structures.

  • Repeated bat emergence at dusk.
  • Rustling, squeaking or movement from a hollow, fissure, bark slab, culvert, bridge joint or building cavity.
  • Guano beneath a roost entrance or on a structure.
  • Bats returning to the same feature during repeated inspections.

Distribution: Australian range

The Pygmy Long-eared Bat is recorded in northern Australia. On a project site, treat suitable habitat in the mapped range as potentially occupied unless survey results and habitat assessment show otherwise.

The species is mapped in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia. Project records should be checked against current state databases and local survey information, particularly where works are near permanent water or dense wetland vegetation.

  • Northern Territory.
  • Queensland.
  • Western Australia.

Distribution: Regional site context

The available species information does not define a finer regional range within these states. Local occurrence can be influenced by the presence of permanent water, roost features and connected vegetation.

  • Check watercourses, lagoons, billabongs, wetlands, drainage lines and water storage areas.
  • Retain potential roost trees and dense vegetation until fauna survey and construction planning are complete.
  • Consider nearby habitat, not only vegetation within the clearing footprint, because bats can commute between roosting and feeding areas.

Distribution: Overseas range

The Pygmy Long-eared Bat is treated here as an Australian species. No overseas range is relevant to the project profile.

Habitat: Water and vegetation

Look for this bat around permanent water and vegetation that provides both insects and sheltered roost features. The species is poorly documented at the site scale, so habitat assessment should cover retained vegetation, trees and nearby structures.

The species is usually found near permanent water. It has been observed roosting in palms and pandanus thickets and may use vegetation around wetlands and watercourses.

  • Permanent waterbodies and wetland margins.
  • Palms, pandanus thickets and dense riparian vegetation.
  • Vegetated drainage lines and areas connecting water with woodland or forest.
  • Sites with mature trees that contain hollows, fissures or loose bark.

Habitat: Features to inspect before clearing

Inspect hollow-bearing trees, dead trees, trees with loose bark and dense clumps of palms or pandanus. Also inspect artificial structures where bats can shelter, including culverts, bridges and buildings.

A habitat assessment should extend beyond the immediate clearing line where practical. Bats may roost outside the work area and forage over nearby water or vegetation.

  • Mark potential roost trees before machinery enters the site.
  • Record hollow entrances, loose bark, cracks, cavities and signs of bat use.
  • Identify nearby water and likely flight paths between water, vegetation and roost features.

Foraging habitat: Food and hunting areas

The Pygmy Long-eared Bat feeds on insects and flies close to water while hunting. Retain vegetation around water and avoid unnecessary lighting, clearing and disturbance of likely flight paths.

Recorded prey includes bugs, beetles and wasps. Foraging is associated with areas near permanent water, where the bat flies close to the water surface or nearby vegetation.

  • Wetland edges and permanent waterbodies.
  • Riparian vegetation and pandanus or palm thickets.
  • Gaps and edges between water, dense vegetation and woodland.
  • Areas with abundant insect activity and shelter from wind.

Foraging habitat: Construction considerations

Clearing near water can remove insect-producing vegetation and commuting cover. Dust, sediment, altered drainage and night lighting can also reduce the value of feeding areas.

  • Keep machinery and stockpiles away from water and retained riparian vegetation where practicable.
  • Use directional, low-spill lighting and switch off unnecessary lights at night.
  • Prevent sediment, fuel and other pollutants from entering water or wetland habitat.
  • Stage clearing so connected vegetation and flight routes are retained.

Breeding habitat: Maternity roost habitat

The Pygmy Long-eared Bat is a colonial breeder. In Queensland, a place where young are raised is a breeding place, and tampering with a breeding place of this least concern colonial breeder requires the high risk species management program pathway.

A maternity roost is a shared place where females gather and raise young. Potential sites include tree hollows, fissures, loose bark, caves, mines, culverts, bridges and cavities in buildings.

For this species, inspect palms and pandanus thickets as well as hollow-bearing trees near permanent water. Do not assume that a small or inconspicuous opening is unused.

  • Hollow limbs and trunks.
  • Cracks and fissures in trees, rock or structures.
  • Loose bark and dense palm or pandanus clumps.
  • Caves, mines, culverts, bridges and building cavities.

Breeding habitat: Breeding timing and confirmation

Queensland transport guidance treats microbats as colonial breeders because they form colonies during the breeding season. Most microbats give birth to one pup a year in the warmer months, usually from spring to late summer. Species-specific timing for the Pygmy Long-eared Bat should be checked locally.

A maternity roost is confirmed by evidence such as pregnant or lactating females, pups, dependent young or repeated use by females during the breeding period.

Typical litter guidance: Most microbats have one pup a year, but species-specific litter information for the Pygmy Long-eared Bat should not be assumed.

Maternity season guidance: For microbats, the warmer months are generally spring to late summer. Confirm local timing before works.

  • Plan intrusive works outside the local maternity season where possible.
  • Use emergence watches, acoustic monitoring and authorised trapping to assess use.
  • Do not exclude bats from a suspected maternity roost while young may be dependent.

Breeding habitat: Survey and confirmation methods

Use more than one survey method where a potential breeding place could be affected. Acoustic detectors such as Anabat can identify activity, while harp traps or mist nets can assist with species confirmation when permitted and supervised by an appropriately qualified person.

  • Dusk emergence watches at trees, structures and other suspected roosts.
  • Endoscope or pole camera inspection of hollows where this can be done safely and without harming bats.
  • Anabat or similar acoustic monitoring at roost features and along likely flight paths.
  • Harp traps or mist nets under the required animal ethics, permit and welfare controls.

Sheltering habitat: Natural roosts

Roosting sites may be natural or built. A bat can use several roosts across a landscape, so the loss of one tree or structure can affect a wider group even when no bats are visible during a daytime inspection.

Inspect tree hollows, fissures, loose bark, dead limbs and dense palm or pandanus vegetation. Nearby permanent water increases the value of these features.

Caves and mines can also provide shelter where they occur. Avoid entering confined or unstable features without a suitable risk assessment and specialist advice.

  • Hollow-bearing live and dead trees.
  • Loose bark and trunk fissures.
  • Palms and pandanus thickets.
  • Caves, rock fissures and mines.

Sheltering habitat: Built roosts

Microbats can shelter in culverts, bridges, roof spaces, wall cavities and other gaps in buildings. Inspect expansion joints, bridge decks, drainage structures and cavities before demolition, repairs or exclusion works.

  • Culverts and drainage structures.
  • Bridges and bridge joints.
  • Buildings, roof spaces and wall cavities.
  • Other enclosed gaps that provide darkness, shelter and stable conditions.

Sheltering habitat: Managing hollow-bearing trees

Where a hollow-bearing tree must be removed, use a staged approach developed by the fauna spotter catcher and ecologist. Two-stage or soft felling can reduce the chance of injury by allowing the tree to be checked between stages and by placing sections carefully on the ground.

Do not fell a tree suspected of containing a maternity roost without confirming the roost status and applying the required approval and management measures.

  • Inspect the tree and hollows before work.
  • Use an endoscope or pole camera where safe and suitable.
  • Apply two-stage or soft felling under an approved method statement.
  • Keep fauna handling, rescue and release arrangements ready before felling starts.

Sheltering habitat: Exclusion and supplementary habitat

Exclusion devices can be used for non-maternity roosts when the timing, design and installation are suitable. Install them outside the maternity season and confirm that bats can leave but cannot return. Never seal a roost while bats or dependent young may be inside.

Bat boxes can provide supplementary roosting opportunities, but they do not replace established natural roosts and should be installed only as part of a broader habitat plan.

  • Use exclusion devices only after the roost has been assessed.
  • Schedule exclusion outside the maternity season.
  • Monitor the exclusion before permanent sealing or demolition.
  • Place bat boxes in suitable retained habitat, with ongoing maintenance and monitoring.

Colonies and breeding places: What a colony site looks like

A colony or maternity roost is a shared breeding place where many bats may gather in a confined feature. The number of bats at a Pygmy Long-eared Bat roost is not well established, so every suspected shared roost should be treated cautiously until its use is resolved.

A colony may occupy a hollow, bark fold, palm or pandanus clump, cave, mine, culvert, bridge cavity or building space. The entrance may be small and the bats may remain hidden during daylight.

A maternity roost can appear quiet from the ground. The absence of visible bats during a daytime inspection does not show that the feature is unused.

  • A sheltered cavity with a narrow entrance.
  • Guano below or around an opening.
  • Repeated bat activity at dusk.
  • Several bats entering or leaving the same feature.

Colonies and breeding places: Colony size and site fidelity

A species-specific typical colony size is not established. Microbat colonies can range from small groups to larger maternity aggregations, and the number present can change with season, weather and roost conditions.

Bats may use more than one roost and can return to a suitable roost across breeding seasons. Treat a repeatedly used feature as significant even if only a few bats are seen on one visit.

  • Record the date, weather, time and duration of each observation.
  • Repeat emergence observations where the status of a site is uncertain.
  • Map nearby alternative roosts and connected vegetation.

Colonies and breeding places: Recognising an active breeding place

Evidence of an active breeding place includes pregnant or lactating females, pups or dependent young, repeated use by females during the breeding period, and regular emergence from one shared feature.

Acoustic activity alone can show that bats are present, but it does not confirm that young are being raised. Combine acoustic results with emergence observations, inspection and trapping where authorised.

  • Pregnant or lactating females during an authorised assessment.
  • Pups or dependent young.
  • Repeated emergence from the same tree, structure or vegetation clump.
  • Fresh guano, odour, staining or audible movement associated with repeated use.

Colonies and breeding places: Why colonies need special care

A single breeding place can hold a substantial share of the local population. Disturbance, exclusion or demolition at the wrong time can injure adults, trap dependent young and remove a roost that is difficult to replace.

In Queensland, DETSI defines colonial breeders as animals of the same kind that coexist in close association for breeding. The higher risk species management program requirement applies when the breeding place of a least concern colonial breeder is tampered with.

Queensland compliance point: Tampering with the breeding place of a least concern colonial breeder requires a high risk species management program, rather than the low risk program used for other least concern animals.

  • Stop work and seek ecological advice if bats, pups or a suspected maternity roost are found.
  • Keep people, lights and machinery away from the roost while its status is assessed.
  • Use a site-specific management program where required.
  • Maintain retained roost trees, structures and nearby habitat wherever practicable.

Threats: Loss of roosting places

The main risks on clearing and construction sites are loss of roost features, disturbance of maternity colonies and removal or degradation of feeding habitat. Plan surveys and controls before vegetation clearing, demolition or work around water begins.

Clearing hollow-bearing trees, dead limbs, loose bark, palms, pandanus and dense riparian vegetation can remove day roosts and maternity sites. Demolition or repair of buildings, bridges and culverts can have the same effect.

  • Retain suitable hollow-bearing trees where safe and practicable.
  • Inspect structures before demolition, repair or exclusion.
  • Avoid removing alternative roost features at the same time.

Threats: Disturbance of colonies

Noise, vibration, lighting, machinery and repeated entry can disturb bats at a shared roost. Excluding adults while pups are dependent can cause young to die inside the roost.

  • Confirm whether a roost is a maternity site before intrusive work.
  • Schedule disruptive works outside the local maternity season where possible.
  • Use exclusion devices only after ecological assessment and at a suitable time.
  • Stop work if pups, lactating females or a large roost are found unexpectedly.

Threats: Clearing and degradation of feeding habitat

Clearing vegetation around permanent water can reduce insect prey, shelter and commuting cover. Agricultural land degradation, altered drainage, sediment and pollution can reduce the quality of feeding areas.

  • Protect water quality and natural drainage.
  • Retain riparian vegetation, palms, pandanus and wetland margins.
  • Control dust, sediment, fuel and chemical spills.
  • Restore disturbed edges with locally appropriate native vegetation where required.

Threats: Lighting and changed site conditions

Bright or poorly directed lighting can alter bat movement and insect activity around water and roosts. New roads, barriers and loss of connected vegetation can also make movement between roosts and feeding areas less suitable.

  • Use the lowest practical light levels near roosts and water.
  • Direct lights away from vegetation, water and known emergence points.
  • Retain dark movement corridors through and around the work area.
  • Monitor bat activity after major changes where a roost or maternity site is nearby.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

The Pygmy Long-eared Bat is a poorly documented microbat. Use several complementary methods, especially where trees, palms, pandanus, buildings, bridges, culverts, caves or other enclosed structures will be disturbed. Survey results should support a clear decision about whether a roost or breeding place may be affected.

Map all potential roosts and feeding areas before field work. Give particular attention to permanent water, palms, pandanus thickets, hollow-bearing trees, loose bark, fissures, caves, mines, culverts, bridges and buildings.

Review previous fauna records, aerial imagery, tree surveys, construction drawings, lighting plans and proposed clearing limits. Treat any known or suspected shared roost as a possible breeding place during the warmer months, usually spring to late summer.

  • Identify trees with hollows, loose bark, cracks or dead limbs that could provide shelter.
  • Map waterbodies and dense vegetation near the work area. The species has been recorded roosting in palms and pandanus thickets and hunting close to water.
  • Check whether the project may affect a colony, maternity roost or other shared roost, even if no bats have previously been recorded.

Survey methodology: 2. Acoustic and activity surveys

Use Anabat or a comparable ultrasonic detector along roost edges, water margins, flight paths and proposed clearing areas. Survey during suitable bat activity periods, generally from sunset into the evening, and repeat surveys where weather or habitat conditions are poor.

Species identification from calls can be difficult. Have recordings checked by a suitably experienced bat ecologist, particularly where several Nyctophilus or other vespertilionid species may occur.

  • Record detector make and settings, survey dates, start and finish times, locations, weather, wind, rain, moon conditions where relevant, habitat and survey effort.
  • Keep the raw recordings and analysis files with the project records.
  • Do not treat a lack of calls as proof that a roost is absent. Bats may be quiet, concealed or temporarily away from a roost.

Survey methodology: 3. Roost and colony surveys

Inspect suitable trees and structures during daylight where this can be done safely. Use an endoscope or pole camera to inspect hollows, fissures and cavities without entering or damaging the roost.

Conduct emergence watches at suspected roosts from before sunset until activity has ceased. Avoid excessive lighting and observers close to entrances. A harp trap or mist net may be used by appropriately trained and authorised personnel where justified by the survey design.

  • Look for pregnant or lactating females, pups, fresh guano, urine staining, worn entrance edges, audible activity, staining around cracks and repeated bat emergence.
  • Record the roost feature, tree or structure type, entrance location, height where safely measurable, surrounding habitat, photographs and evidence of current use.
  • Treat a site where young are raised as a breeding place. A maternity roost may be occupied by a shared group even when only a few bats are seen during a brief inspection.

Survey methodology: 4. Survey interpretation and reporting

Species-specific colony sizes, roost occupancy patterns and site fidelity are poorly documented. Do not assume that a small observed group represents the whole colony, or that an empty roost during one visit is unused.

Microbats are colonial breeders during the breeding season. A colony or maternity roost can be a concealed group sharing a hollow, fissure, loose bark, cave, mine, culvert, bridge, building or similar shelter.

  • State the methods, timing, conditions, effort and limitations of each survey.
  • Map confirmed and potential roosts, flight paths, water and proposed disturbance areas.
  • Classify findings as no evidence, potential roost, active roost, or active breeding place, and explain the evidence for the classification.
  • Recommend further survey or specialist advice where access was limited, weather was unsuitable, or roost status remains uncertain.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and authorisations

Plan the work around the risk to roosting bats and breeding places, not only around whether an individual bat is visible. Avoid disturbance wherever practicable, and obtain the approvals and fauna handling arrangements required for the jurisdiction and activity.

Confirm the legal status of the species and the project before clearing or construction begins. Check whether an EPBC Act referral is required because of impacts on a matter of national environmental significance, and obtain any approval before the relevant work starts.

In Queensland, treat the Pygmy Long-eared Bat as a least concern colonial breeder for project planning. Tampering with its breeding place requires a high risk species management program under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020, rather than the low risk program used for other least concern animals.

  • Confirm Queensland SMP requirements with the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation before disturbing a suspected breeding place.
  • Check state or territory permits and approvals in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, including wildlife handling, trapping, relocation, clearing and construction requirements.
  • Use only authorised fauna spotter catchers and appropriately qualified bat surveyors for capture, handling, exclusion or relocation.
  • Keep approval conditions, permits, maps, inductions and contact details at the work front.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and timing

Retain roost trees, palms, pandanus thickets and other shelter wherever possible. Redesign clearing limits, access tracks, laydown areas, lighting and structures to maintain roosts and nearby feeding habitat.

Most microbats give birth to one pup a year in the warmer months, usually spring to late summer. Avoid disturbance to suspected maternity roosts during this period unless the relevant regulator has approved the action and a suitably experienced ecologist has confirmed the method.

  • Schedule high-risk tree removal and roost disturbance outside the local maternity period where practicable.
  • Do not infer a migration window for this species. Use local records and survey findings to identify seasonal use, and manage occupied roosts as active until evidence supports another conclusion.
  • Set a site-specific no-go area and disturbance buffer around each confirmed or suspected roost. Define the buffer with the project ecologist and regulator where required.
  • Control night lighting near roost entrances, water and retained vegetation.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance inspection

Complete a final inspection shortly before disturbance. Recheck hollow-bearing trees, loose bark, fissures, palms, pandanus, buildings, bridges, culverts and other structures that may have become occupied since the earlier survey.

Use a pole camera or endoscope where safe and suitable. An emergence watch, acoustic survey or other targeted check may be needed where a roost cannot be confirmed by daylight inspection.

  • Mark all retained and removal trees clearly on the ground and on the clearing plan.
  • Search for pups, lactating females, repeated emergence, fresh guano and other signs of an active breeding place.
  • Stop and obtain ecological advice if a colony, roost or possible breeding place is found.
  • Do not seal, block, fell or dismantle a potential roost until its status and the approved management response are clear.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Exclusion, felling and induction

Use exclusion devices only where a qualified bat ecologist confirms that exclusion is suitable and no dependent young will be trapped. Install devices outside the maternity season and monitor them as part of an approved method.

Hollow-bearing trees require staged or soft felling. The method should allow animals to escape and allow a fauna spotter catcher to inspect sections before they are moved or processed.

  • Brief all workers about the species, roost signs, breeding-place protections, exclusion devices, stop-work authority and emergency contacts.
  • Explain that a breeding place includes any roost where young are raised, not only a large or obvious colony.
  • Keep machinery, people and lighting outside marked exclusion areas until the fauna spotter catcher releases them.
  • Prepare suitable temporary holding equipment and a veterinarian or wildlife carer pathway before work begins.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clear in stages and keep the fauna spotter catcher in control of fauna risk at the work front. Work must stop when an active breeding place, colony, roost or animal is found and the approved response is not immediately clear.

Clear low-risk vegetation first, then approach retained habitat and hollow-bearing trees under direct fauna supervision. Use staged or soft felling for trees with hollows, cracks, loose bark or other likely roost features.

Allow the spotter catcher time to inspect each section before it is cut, moved, mulched or loaded. Do not drop hollow sections or crush cavities.

  • Maintain a clearly marked exclusion area around active or suspected roosts.
  • Keep workers and machinery quiet and avoid directing lights into roost entrances.
  • Inspect felled sections, cavities, loose bark and debris before removal.
  • Record the tree or structure identifier, action taken and any fauna outcome.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Stop-work response

The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to stop work without delay. Stop work if a bat, pup, colony, occupied roost, maternity roost, fresh breeding sign or previously unidentified potential roost is found.

Keep people, machinery and pets away. Do not seal the entrance, relocate the structure or resume work until the ecologist confirms the response.

  • Protect the roost from weather, heat, vibration, dust and lighting while advice is obtained.
  • Contact the project ecologist and the relevant regulator or permit holder where the approval requires notification.
  • Reassess whether the site is an active breeding place, and apply the high risk Queensland SMP requirements where relevant.
  • Change the work method, retain the roost, defer the activity or use an approved exclusion method.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Handling and release

Only authorised and trained people may capture, handle, identify, contain or relocate a bat. Avoid unnecessary handling, especially of pregnant or lactating females and pups.

Keep any captured bat in a secure, quiet, appropriately ventilated container away from heat, machinery, smoke and direct light. Seek specialist advice promptly about release or care.

  • Do not attempt to remove a bat from a cavity with bare hands, tools, water, smoke or chemicals.
  • Do not separate a pup from its mother unless directed by an experienced bat rehabilitator or veterinarian.
  • Release a healthy animal only at an approved suitable location and under the project fauna management plan.
  • Record the species, sex if known, age class, condition, capture location, time, handler, holding period and release or transfer outcome.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Injured, dead or distressed animals

Treat grounded, injured, entangled or heat-stressed bats as a wildlife incident. Do not handle them unless authorised and trained, because bats can bite and may carry diseases transmissible to people.

Use the project emergency pathway and obtain veterinary or wildlife carer advice. Keep the animal secure and undisturbed while arrangements are made.

  • Record the exact location, condition, photographs where appropriate, apparent cause and people involved.
  • Report a bite, scratch or other exposure immediately through the workplace health process and seek medical advice.
  • Do not dispose of a dead bat until the permit holder or ecologist has confirmed whether collection, identification or reporting is required.
  • Review nearby roosts and work methods before restarting.

During habitat disturbance: 5. Field records

Maintain a daily fauna register for all searches, sightings, captures, exclusions, injuries, deaths, stop-work events and approvals. Link each entry to a map, tree number or structure identifier.

Keep records suitable for permit reporting and later review.

  • Record date, time, crew, weather, location, habitat, method, finding, action, photographs and observer names.
  • Record all periods when work stopped and the person who authorised recommencement.
  • Update the roost and breeding-place map as new information is found.
  • Provide records to the project ecologist and regulator where required by an approval or SMP.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Immediate post-clearance checks

Post-clearance checks confirm that animals have not been trapped and that retained roosts remain usable. They also provide evidence that conditions, exclusions and fauna handling measures worked as intended.

Inspect the cleared area, felled tree sections, retained trees and nearby structures after each relevant work stage. Look for live or dead bats, pups, trapped animals, damaged roost entrances and unexpected colony activity.

Recheck cavities and hollow sections before they are removed, chipped, buried or used in construction.

  • Walk the full disturbance footprint and access route.
  • Check exclusion devices and confirm that they have not trapped animals.
  • Inspect nearby culverts, bridges, buildings, palms, pandanus and retained hollow-bearing trees where they could have been affected.
  • Record the result, including a nil result, with date, time and observer.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Roost and habitat monitoring

Monitor confirmed or retained roosts at a level matched to the risk and approval conditions. Use repeat emergence observations, acoustic detectors, inspections or other methods selected by the ecologist.

Pay particular attention during the warmer months and after noisy works, vibration, lighting changes or severe weather.

  • Check whether entrances remain open and whether surrounding vegetation and water access have been retained.
  • Compare activity and roost condition with the pre-work baseline where one exists.
  • Investigate reduced activity, repeated bat distress, dead animals or new signs of abandonment.
  • Continue monitoring for the period required by the approval, SMP or fauna management plan.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Relocation and welfare follow-up

Where animals were relocated or released, confirm the release location, condition and follow-up requirements. Relocation should not be used as a substitute for retaining an occupied maternity roost.

Seek further advice if a released bat is found grounded, repeatedly returns to the disturbance area, or shows signs of injury or poor condition.

  • Check release sites for shelter, suitable habitat, water and low disturbance.
  • Do not move bats again without authorisation and ecological advice.
  • Record any recapture, return, mortality or rehabilitation outcome.
  • Provide welfare information to the permit holder and relevant regulator where required.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Reporting and incident review

Prepare a close-out report that compares planned and actual works. Include all fauna events, roost decisions, permit conditions, monitoring results and unresolved risks.

Review every stop-work event, injury, death, unexpected roost or breach before similar work continues elsewhere on the project.

  • Identify the cause of the incident and the control that failed or was missing.
  • Update induction material, clearing sequences, exclusion zones, lighting controls and emergency contacts.
  • Notify the regulator, client and approval holder within the required timeframe.
  • Retain maps, photographs, acoustic files, handling records and monitoring data with the project records.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore roosting and feeding habitat

Rehabilitation should restore connected shelter, feeding habitat and access to water around retained roosts. Replacement structures can help where suitable, but they do not replace the protection of an occupied natural maternity roost.

Retain and protect hollow-bearing trees, dead standing trees where safe, palms, pandanus thickets and dense native vegetation. Restore native vegetation around permanent water and along movement routes.

Use local native species suited to the site and protect plantings from fire, grazing, browsing, machinery and repeated maintenance disturbance.

  • Reconnect retained vegetation where clearing has fragmented habitat.
  • Leave suitable natural shelter features where they do not create an unacceptable safety risk.
  • Maintain access to water and nearby insect-rich vegetation.
  • Avoid removing roost trees during later maintenance without another ecological assessment.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Replacement roost structures

Use bat boxes, nest boxes, artificial nest sites or other roost structures only where their design, placement and maintenance suit local microbats. They are supplementary measures and may not be used by this species.

An experienced bat ecologist should select the structure type and location. Consider shade, heat, weather exposure, predator access, nearby vegetation, water and safe inspection access.

  • Install replacement structures before or as part of habitat works where the approved plan requires them.
  • Do not place boxes where they will be brightly lit, isolated from vegetation or exposed to excessive heat.
  • Do not assume that installation equals successful replacement. Check for occupancy and condition using safe inspections or acoustic and emergence methods.
  • Retain natural roost features even when boxes are installed.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Water, weeds and lighting

Protect permanent water and restore native vegetation around its margins. The species feeds on bugs, beetles and wasps and has been observed hunting close to water.

Control weeds without removing the dense native shelter that bats use. Manage lighting so that roost entrances, water margins and movement routes remain dark or low disturbance.

  • Use weed control methods that avoid poisoning, flooding, burning or sealing potential roosts.
  • Prevent sediment, pollutants and construction waste from entering water.
  • Use shielded, warm and targeted lighting only where lighting is necessary.
  • Schedule vegetation maintenance outside the local maternity period where practicable.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Long-term monitoring

Monitor rehabilitated habitat and replacement structures for establishment, damage and bat use. Because species-specific occupancy information is limited, combine inspection with acoustic monitoring and emergence observations where the risk warrants it.

Use results to refine future clearing, lighting, revegetation and roost-management decisions.

  • Record planting survival, weed cover, water condition, roost structure condition and evidence of bat use.
  • Replace or repair damaged boxes and structures under ecological advice.
  • Check retained roosts after major storms, fires, flooding, construction changes or tree works.
  • Report monitoring results and management changes through the project environmental reporting system.

Sources