My lab conducts most research on Emballonurid bats (sac-winged bats). Emballonurids are a phylogenetically old family of insectivorous bats occurring in a wide range of different habitats throughout both the Old and New World Tropics. They are very suitable for field studies due to the good accessibility of their day-roosts and the readiness with which they can be habituated to human observers. One member of this family, the Greater Sac-Winged Bat Saccopteryx bilineata, has been the focus of detailed investigations for many decades and is probably one of the best-studied bat species worldwide. Other Emballonurids have received much less scientific attention in the past.
In addition to Saccopteryx bilineata, we study the sympatric species Saccopteryx leptura, Rhynchonycteris naso, Balantiopteryx plicata, Cormura brevirostris, and Peropteryx kappleri, all of which occur in the Neotropics.
Moreover, we recently started studying Taphozous mauritianus, an African Emballonurid.
Other species we work with myself or have worked with in cooperation with colleagues include Neotropical insectivores (Micronycteris microtis, Lophostoma silvicolum and Phyllostomus hastatus), nectarivores (Glossophaga soricina, Glossophaga commissarisi, Leptonycteris yerbabuenae, Musonycteris harrisoni), and frugivores (Carollia perspicillata), and one Palaearctic insectivore (Nyctalus noctula).