United by Ecology

Some unusual social calls of the Nathusius's pipistrelle's (Pipistrellus nathusii) are trills and warbled qCF calls. These kind of calls are almost non-spoken about in literature about this species. The type D social calls of the Nathusius' pipistrelle can be categorized into different parts, of whom part A1, A2, B, C, D and E have been described in literature (Russ and Racey 2007; Hargreaves et al. 2017; Jahelková 2011; Middleton 2022). The Nathusius' pipistrelle can shuffle the different parts to create a syntax with a complex message (Middleton et al., 2020). The sequence "part A, B and C" is the most commonly used. During mating season, part D is also frequently used.

The common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) is the most common bat species in the Netherlands. One would assume that all it's calls would be well documented. But even well-known species have their surprises. This is a collection of the most eyebrow-raising recordings of common pipistrelle calls.

Something that absolutely fascinates me, is the Nathusius's pipistrelle's (Pipistrellus nathusii) use of unusual social calls outside of the mating season (recordings before the 15th of July), with emphasis on trills and wavy-line calls. These kind of calls are almost non-spoken about in literature. Other unusual social calls to encounter during spring season are part D and part E of the type D social call.