Wildlifeof India
Painted Woolly Bat
Bats
Photo: (c) Ameet Mandavia, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Kerivoula picta
Basic stats
Diet
Small insects caught in flight
Habitat
Old weaver and sunbird nests, banana leaves and hut eaves
Range
South and Southeast Asia, including India, Nepal and Bangladesh
Litter size
1 young
Size
Body 3–5.5cm; tail 3–5.5cm; wingspan 18–30cm
Weight
About 5g
The painted bat is tiny, about 5 g, with body and tail each 3–5.5 cm long and a wingspan of 18–30 cm. 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 is found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia. 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 have been reported. Breeding is thought to be between June and August. In Bangladesh it was thought extinct after 1888 until it was rediscovered in 2021 (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Painted Woolly Bat eat?
- Small insects caught in flight
- What habitat does the Painted Woolly Bat live in?
- Old weaver and sunbird nests, banana leaves and hut eaves
- Where is the Painted Woolly Bat found?
- South and Southeast Asia, including India, Nepal and Bangladesh
- What is the litter size of the Painted Woolly Bat?
- 1 young
- How big is the Painted Woolly Bat?
- Body 3–5.5cm; tail 3–5.5cm; wingspan 18–30cm
- How much does the Painted Woolly Bat weigh?
- About 5g