Rare Long Tailed Bat, native to NZ

The Opihi District is home to the rare long-tailed bat and you may be lucky enough to see these 'little fellas' at dusk, swooping against the last light of day.

There were large populations of long-tailed bats throughout New Zealand in the 1800s but by 1930 they were becoming scarce in many districts. This was largely due to the felling of suitable roost trees.

The long tailed bat tends to choose taller trees for their roosts. Larger trees are usually very old - favourite roost trees of the long tailed bat are often between 100 and 600 years old.

Opihi Vineyard now protects trees on their property, especially those around the Opihi Vineyard Café and supports conservation efforts by DOC and Royal Forest and Bird. The Opihi District is one of the few areas where the long tail bat survives in the South Island.

Some interesting facts about the Long Tailed Bat

• They catch their food on the wing, feeding on small moths, midges, mosquitoes and beetles. A membrane is attached to the tail of the long-tailed bat, this attached membrane is used to scoop insects in flight
• Their food consumption is a bit like a vacuum cleaner flying over the land: a single bat can consume over 600 insects in one night. The long tail bat is a true ally of Opihi Vineyard as it acts as an aerial insectivore.
• The long tailed bat can fly at 60 kilometres per hour
• They are not prolific breeders, producing only one pup a year
• The long tail bat is New Zealand’s smallest bat with a weight of only 8-11grams

"Our logo depicts the endangered native long tail bat, a small colony of which survives in our local district.
Opihi Vineyard supports efforts to preserve this species."