Natural history on canvas: Brueghel knew about bird-eating noctule bats

Abstract

A recent study has provided the first direct evidence that the greater noctule bat ( Nyctalus lasiopterus ) preys on and consume nocturnally migrating passerines in flight, using a combination of biologging, acoustic and movement monitoring, and molecular analyses. This result builds upon evidence accumulated over the past two decades. The research began with the first study reporting passerine feathers in the feces of this bat species. Subsequent fecal pellet analyses revealed peaks in the consumption of migratory avian prey, which coincided with migration periods. This body of evidence culminated in the recent publication demonstrating that greater noctules capture and consume migratory birds in flight at high altitudes. Here, we show that this interaction was depicted more than four centuries ago. In the canvas Air (1611), a painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder that contains detailed representations of more than 60 bird species, the artist also included three bat species. One of them, unmistakably identified as noctule bat, is represented in flight with a small passerine in its mouth. Although the behavior portrayed does not fully match contemporary descriptions of prey handling, the specificity of this predation scene suggests some familiarity of the artist with this behavior in the greater noctule. As the digitization of art collections accelerates and analytical tools continue to advance, the value of these sources to provide valuable data—previously difficult to extract and often overlooked—and complement modern research approaches will notably increase.