Flying Fox

Grey-headed Flying Fox. Photo: E. Gray

This is a Grey-headed Flying Fox Pteropus policephalus. Grey-headed Flying Foxes are found on the east coast of Australia from Rockhampton to Melbourne. They grow up to 30 cm in length and can weigh up to one kilogram.

These large bats spend the day in communal roosts called camps. Each camp can consist of hundreds of bats. At dusk, the bats disperse, flying to food sites within a 20 km radius of the camp. Grey-headed Flying Foxes eat fruits and blossoms and are sometimes considered a pest in orchards. They play an important role in pollinating and dispersing the seeds of many native plants.

Female Grey-headed Flying Foxes give birth to a single young around October. They are carried on their mother's belly for four to five weeks until they are old enough to be left in the camp at night.

There are several places in Sydney where you can see Grey-headed Flying Foxes. There are camps at Gordon, Cabramatta Creek and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The Flying Foxes from the Royal Botanic Gardens camp fly over the centre of Sydney every evening. If you are in the centre of Sydney at dusk, look up and you will see hundreds of them flying across the sky.

If you can't see a Grey-headed Flying Fox in the wild, you can visit search & discover to see and touch our mounted specimen. We also have lots of information about these bats.

For more information about Grey-headed Flying Foxes in Sydney, visit the Ku-ringai Bat Conservation Society.