Grey-headed Flying-fox

Family: Pteropodidae
Scientific name: Pteropus poliocephalus

Where they roost:
They hang from the branches of trees, often in groups made up of many thousands of bats, called camps. The camps are often in the gullies of eucalypt forests or in mangroves.

What they eat:
Nectar and pollen from the blossoms of native trees, especially gum trees. Native fruits, especially of rainforest trees. Orchard fruit when their preferred foods are not available. They can travel up to 50 km each night from their camp to their feeding areas.

Conservation threats:
Vulnerable to loss of feeding areas from forestry operations, clearing of forests for agriculture and housing estates. Numbers are rapidly declining.

Other information:
These bats are important to forest health. They pollinate and disperse the seeds of many important tree species.

Photograph: Sarah Jacob