Feeding and flying

The pipistrelle hunts over a regular beat, flying at between 2 - 13 metres, usually up to 6 metres, above the ground. The bat eats mostly gnats, tiny moths and small caddisflies, hunting for them in open spaces around a building or tree, or above water. If a large insect is captured, it is taken to a perch to be eaten. A bat eats several hundred insects every day

When the pipistrelle is flying fast in the dark, it can avoid bumping into obstacles and track down prey by using a system of echo-location, similar to the radar-scanning equipment used in ships and aircraft. The bat frequently emits very high-pitched (ultrasonic) squeaks which bounce back from any solid object into its ears. In each ear there is a fleshy spike, known as a tragus, which receives the sound; the bat is able to interpret the time taken for the echo to return and 'see' its surroundings. A bat probably carries a sound picture of familiar territory, comparable to the visual memory of humans.