Roost fidelity in spectacled flying-foxes Pteropus conspicillatus: implications for conservation and management

Abstract

Roost trees at three Pteropus conspicillatus camps in the Australian Wet Tropics were monitored for the presence and absence of individuals over a four month period. The number of individual P. conspicillatus in roost trees varied on a variety of time scales, with seasonal changes in abundance overlain on highly variable day-to-day patterns of roost use. Although the presence of individual, high site fidelity behaviour could not be precluded, the high turnover of flying-fox numbers on a within-tree basis precludes the presence of highly stable social groups, over the duration of this study at least. Further clarification of the extent of roost fidelity within camps is likely to be a significant component for the conservation and management of flying-foxes.