Pteropus alecto
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The black flying fox or black fruit bat (Pteropus alecto) is a bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is among the largest bats in the world, but is considerably smaller than the largest species in its genus, Pteropus. The black flying fox is native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. It is not a threatened species.
Juvenile specimens of this species from Moa Island in Torres Strait have been described as a separate species, Pteropus banakrisi. This supposed species was known as the "Torresian flying fox" or "Moa Island fruit bat". The black flying fox has short, black hair with a contrasting reddish-brown mantle, and a mean forearm length of 164 mm (6.46 in) and a mean weight of 710 g (1.57 lb). It is one of the largest bat species in the world, and has a wingspan of more than 1 metre (39 in).
Black flying foxes are native to Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia), Papua New Guinea (Western Province) and Indonesia (West Papua, Sulawesi, Sumba, and Savu). During the day, individuals reside in large roosts (colonies or 'camps') consisting of hundreds to tens of... Wikipedia →
Recording0:25
Australia · 2020
© kalimata · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:50
Australia · 2024
© Kath Lloyd · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:09
Australia · 2025
© cuckoobrains · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Leipzig Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zoologischer Garten Leipzig | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Biotropica | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Caversham Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Flying-fox sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 14th most-seen of the 22 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March, May and July–August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Flying-fox in Sydney on a given day, against under 5% in April, June and September–January, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Flying-fox sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Black Flying-fox sightings, Sydney ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Brisbane (Australia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Flying-fox is recorded against all the mammals logged in Sydney (44 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
