New research is revealing that bats have the unique ability to “surf” along storms while making their distant migratory travels, according to recent findings.
Using nature’s raw power helps the small creatures conserve energy on their long flights over central Europe, according to a new study that sheds new light on how bats’ physiology takes advantage of weather and other environmental factors during migration.
Migratory Bats
When it comes to migration, bird migration is a well-documented phenomenon that biologists have thoroughly investigated. Bats, however, are another story, as few bat species conduct long-distance migrations, and those that do have had little scientific attention placed on their behavior.
Bats engage in nocturnal flights, which demand an incredible amount of energy from the small creatures. Beyond that, humans, climate change, and declining insect populations have all made the process harder in recent years. Now, research is revealing that in order to meet those challenges, bats adapt their behavior by changing and reducing their migration patterns.
Limited Data on Bat Migration
Analysis of the available data suggests that local weather plays a significant role in driving these changes. Favorable winds that the bats can glide on help reduce the challenges associated with foraging and migration. However, the lack of advanced technological tools for monitoring these migrations means that their patterns remain poorly understood. This limitation makes it challenging to draw concrete conclusions about changes in bat migration behavior.
To address this gap, Edward Hurme and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, University of Konstanz, developed an innovative approach. Leveraging the “Internet of Things,” they attached 1.2-gram biotelemetry tags to 71 female common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctule) over a period of three years. These tags collected data on the bats’ locations, activities, and environmental conditions, which was then transmitted wirelessly to the researchers. This method marked a significant improvement over earlier technologies, which required recapturing the bats to manually retrieve data from the tags.
Checking the Data
One of the most surprising findings was the extraordinary single-night flight distances the bats achieved—up to 383 kilometers. This far exceeded anything observed in prior studies. Over the course of a 46-day migration, some bats traveled as much as 1,116 kilometers to reach their maternity roosts. Interestingly, the bats demonstrated a strong preference for traveling on warm nights and capitalized on tailwinds from incoming storm fronts to conserve energy during their journeys.
The bats also surprised researchers by often waiting for ideal conditions rather than persistently pushing forward toward their destination. However, this strategy became less practical as the season progressed. Increasing body weight associated with maternity made travel more difficult, and the seasonal decline in favorable wind conditions limited opportunities to wait for optimal conditions. In such cases, prolonged delays in starting their migration ultimately resulted in more challenging journeys.
Continuing to Explore Bat Migration
This study represents not only a critical first step in better understanding bat migration but also highlights the transformative potential of new technologies in addressing complex biological and ecological questions. By applying advanced tools like biotelemetry, researchers can unlock insights into previously elusive behaviors, paving the way for future discoveries in conservation and wildlife biology.
“Studies that leverage new technologies or approaches can reveal previously unknown aspects of these understudied animals,” University of Waterloo biology professor Liam McGuire said. “But if action is not taken to address threats facing bat populations, they may not be around much longer to study.”
The paper “Bats Surf Storm Fronts During Spring Migration” appeared on January 2, 2025 in the Nature.
Ryan Whalen covers bats exclusively for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.