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Story: Bats

Singing for a mate

Video file

A male short-tailed bat sings to attract a female to his tree hollow. They mate when she enters the hole in the tree. The bat song in this video clip has been slowed down to make it audible.

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Natural History New Zealand

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How to cite this page

Veronika Meduna, Bats – Lesser short-tailed bats and long-tailed bats, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/9753/singing-for-a-mate (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Veronika Meduna, published 1 March 2009.