We're a volunteer community group working to preserve, restore and celebrate the remarkable bats that keep our forests alive — from the Gordon camp to suburbs right across Greater Sydney.
Photo: Andrew Mercer
Bats are keystone species. Without them, Australia's forests — and the wildlife that depend on them — would be in serious trouble.
Nectar-feeding flying-foxes pollinate eucalypts and rainforest trees as they feed each night.
They carry and drop seeds far from parent trees, regenerating forests across huge distances.
Insect-eating microbats keep pest populations in check right across Greater Sydney.
A volunteer community group celebrating the remarkable bats that keep our forests alive. We run education events with live flying-foxes, restore habitat in the Ku-ring-gai Flying-fox Reserve, and fund research into Australia's bats — all volunteer-led work that relies on government grants and the generosity of the public.
All bats belong to the order Chiroptera, from the ancient Greek for "hand wing". Across Australia there are five flying-fox species and close to 90 species of echolocating bats, also called microbats.
Sydney's largest bats and vital pollinators. The grey-headed flying-fox is our most common and is listed as Vulnerable, the black flying-fox occurs in small numbers, and the little red flying-fox visits some camps. Each night they carry pollen and seed further than any other pollinator in Australia.
Explore flying-foxes →
Tiny insect-eaters that hunt in the dark using echolocation. Nineteen species live around Sydney, eight of them threatened. Weighing as little as a few grams, they roost in tree hollows, caves and roof spaces, and a single bat can eat hundreds of insects in a night.
Explore microbats →Newsletters, news and events — the three most recent. See all news →
Image by René Riegal Long misunderstood as noisy nuisances, grey-headed flying foxes are emerging as ecological heavyweights with major economic upside. New
Read more →
Image by Catherine Ryan. If trees could talk, they'd probably say, 'Help! I need to move out!' That's because plants, unlike animals, can't pack their bags and
Read more →
Flying-foxes are being shot in Queensland despite humane, proven alternatives. These native animals suffer slow deaths, orphaned pups, and ongoing population
Read more →