Grey-headed Flying-Fox

Pteropus poliocephalus

Canberra, Australia - September 2010

Grey-headed Flying-Fox is the largest bat in Australia with a wingspan of around 1m.  They roost in large colonies or "camps" by day and at dusk leave the colony in search of nectar, pollen and fruit.  They will often fly up to 50km from the colony to find suitable fruiting or flowering trees.

Canberra, Australia - September 2010

Although still fairly common, it is currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to the population declining by at least 30% in the last decade alone.  From a population that was originally thought to be counted in its millions, it was estimated in 2002 that there were only 400,000 left.

Canberra, Australia - September 2010