Foraging Patterns of Orange Nectar Bats at a Panama Hummingbird Feeder
Mark Stanback1,*, Julia Barnfield1,2, and Eleanor Diamant3,4
1Department of Biology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035. 2Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 4461 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843. 3Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel. 4Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel. *Corresponding author.
Journal of North American Bat Research Notes, Volume 3 (2025):1–9
Abstract
We observed foraging Lonchophylla robusta (Orange Nectar Bats) at a hummingbird feeder in Panama for at least 1 night per week for over a year. Our goal was to understand better the factors that influence the foraging behavior of nectar bats in the Neotropics. We addressed effects of season, time of night, and phase of the moon on bat foraging behavior. Time of night had a significant effect, with more feeding visits during the morning. Although season had a minor effect, we found no effect of moon phase on the number of bat visits to the feeder. Finally, we found that bats decreased their foraging behavior when a Didelphis marsupialis (Common Opossum) was near the feeder.
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Journal of North American Bat Research is valued by the academic, agency, NGO, and private-sector research community as a respected and trusted source for science related to all aspects of the biology, ecology, and conservation of bats, Order Chiroptera, and their habitats in North America, from Canada to Panama, and the West Indies (Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and Lesser Antilles). Manuscripts based on studies outside this region that provide information on species within the region may be considered at the Editor’s discretion.