habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
The Egyptian Free-tailed Bat occurs across a range of habitats, foraging over desert, semi-arid scrub, savannah, grassland and agricultural land (Monadjem et al. 2010). Aside from the fringes, it is generally absent from forests (Skinner & Chimimba 2005). In arid areas, its presence is commonly associated with surface water (Sirami et al. 2013), which provides a source of moisture (Skinner & Chimimba 2005), and usually has concentrated densities of insect prey (Monadjem et al. 2010). It is known to be common in arid scrub and open grassland regions (Skinner & Chimimba 2005).This species roosts communally during the day in small to medium-sized groups (Herselman & Norton 1985; Monadjem et al. 2010). Roost habitats include, but are not limited to, rock crevices, under exfoliating rock sheets, tree hollows, caves, behind the bark of dead trees, building crevices and roofs of houses (Herselman & Norton 1985; Taylor 1998; Skinner & Chimimba 2005; Monadjem et al. 2010). It is considered an open-air forager, foraging over most habitat types, and feeds mainly on Diptera, Hemiptera and Coleoptera and, to a lesser degree, Lepidoptera (Monadjem et al. 2010). There are definite seasonal patterns in activity levels of this species emerging from long-term monitoring studies in the assessment region, with typical peaks at most sites in late summer and autumn. However, this requires further investigation. Gestation is approximately four months and typically, a single young is born once a year in November or December (Monadjem et al. 2010).
Ecosystem and cultural services: As this species is insectivorous, it may contribute to controlling insect populations (Boyles et al. 2011; Kunz et al. 2011). Bats often prey on the insect species that destroy crops (Boyles et al. 2011; Kunz et al. 2011). Ensuring a healthy population of insectivorous bats can thus result in a decrease in the use of pesticides.
