Mammals
Gray-Headed Flying Fox
Pteropus poliocephalus · also called grey-headed flying fox
As dusk settles over an eastern Australian forest, thousands of gray-headed flying foxes lift off from a single camp to pollinate the night’s flowering eucalypts, a keystone role made increasingly precarious by the extreme heat events now striking their colonies.
Overview
The gray-headed flying fox, Pteropus poliocephalus, is the largest bat native to Australia, found across forest and wetland habitat along a corridor spanning much of the country’s eastern coastline. Its keystone role pollinating native forest, capacity for long-distance nightly foraging, and vulnerability to increasingly frequent extreme heat events make it one of the more ecologically important and climate-sensitive bats found anywhere in Australia.
A forest’s nighttime gardener
Few animals do as much unseen work for Australia’s eucalypt forests as the gray-headed flying fox, carrying pollen and seeds across huge distances each night in a role that keeps entire forest ecosystems regenerating.
Status
Vulnerable, having declined due to habitat loss, mass mortality during extreme heat events, and ongoing conflict with humans over urban-adjacent roosting camps.
Gray-Headed Flying Fox: common questions
Why is the gray-headed flying fox important to Australian forests?
This species pollinates flowers and disperses seeds across long distances as it forages each night, making it a keystone species for the health and long-term regeneration of native eucalypt forest along much of Australia's eastern coastline.
Why do gray-headed flying foxes sometimes die in large numbers?
This species is highly vulnerable to extreme heat, and mass mortality events have been documented at roosting colonies when daytime temperatures exceed roughly 42 degrees Celsius, a growing concern as such heat events become more frequent.
How big is the gray-headed flying fox?
This species is the largest bat found anywhere in Australia, with a wingspan that can approach 1.5 metres, giving it an outsized physical presence among the continent's native fruit- and nectar-eating mammals.
Why do gray-headed flying fox camps sometimes cause conflict?
This species forms large daytime roosting camps that are sometimes located close to towns and cities, and their size, noise, and strong odour can attract public attention and occasional conflict despite the species' important ecological role.