Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus

Grey-headed Flying Foxes are large bats weighing up to 1 kg with a wingspan of up to 1 metre. They are endemic to Australia and live in groups called camps, which can be made up of many thousands of animals roosting in the same trees.

Roost sites are often stands of tall Eucalypts in gullies, but the bats also use urban parks, such as the Royal Botanic Gardens in the middle of the Sydney CBD. From their camp they fly up to 50 km to feed on the pollen, nectar and fruit of native trees and fruit crops.

From September to December the flying foxes give birth and nurse their young, which start learning to fly in January.

Impressive camps in the heart of our cities, such as the one in Sydney’s botanic gardens, feigns that all is well for the bats, but research suggests otherwise. Population numbers of the Grey-headed Flying-fox have declined by as much as 30% over the past decade, and the species is now listed as a vulnerable species in NSW and all of Australia.

Main threats include destruction of habitat by clearing for urban development and agriculture, loss of foraging habitat leads to starvation of animals, spontaneous abortion and high infant mortality. Disturbance at roosting sites, particularly during the last few weeks of pregnancy can cause spontaneous abortion. Electrocution on power lines is another serious threat as is competition and hybridisation with the Black Flying-fox Pteropus alecto.

Recent surveys found that the Little Black Flying-Fox and Grey-headed Flying Foxare shifting their range south along the east coast of Australia in a response climate change and rising temperatures.

The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife came to the rescue of a Sydney population when madeira vine and other weeds threatened to smother the tree canopy of the Grey-headed flying-fox camp at Stony Creek in Ku-ring-gai. Our grant allowed volunteers from the Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society to tackle madeira wine, moth vine, balloon vine and morning glory and restore this important roost site for the species.

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