Chocolate Wattled Bat vs New Britain Bronzewing

Chalinolobus morio compared with Henicophaps foersteri

Key Differences

• Chocolate Wattled Bat is Least Concern while New Britain Bronzewing is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chocolate Wattled Bat	New Britain Bronzewing
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Chiroptera (Bats)	Columbiformes (Pigeons & Doves)
Family	Vespertilionidae	Columbidae
Genus	Chalinolobus	Henicophaps
Species	Chalinolobus morio	Henicophaps foersteri

Evolutionary Relationship

Chocolate Wattled Bat and New Britain Bronzewing share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Chocolate Wattled Bat

LC — Least Concern

New Britain Bronzewing

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chocolate Wattled Bat	New Britain Bronzewing
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chocolate Wattled Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

New Britain Bronzewing

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chocolate Wattled Bat

The Chocolate Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus morio) is a small insectivorous bat in the family Vespertilionidae, endemic to Australia, where it is one of the more widespread members of the genus Chalinolobus — the wattled bats, named for the fleshy lobes (wattles) at the corners of the mouth. Chalinolobus morio is uniformly dark brown to chocolate-brown in colour, compact in build, and has the short, broad wings characteristic of bats that forage in cluttered forest environments at moderate to low altitudes. It is distributed across much of temperate and subtropical eastern Australia, southwestern Australia, and Tasmania, inhabiting diverse forest types from eucalypt woodland and mallee to tropical dry forest. The species roosts in tree hollows, bat boxes, and occasionally in buildings, sometimes forming small colonies. It feeds nocturnally on moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and other flying insects, using echolocation to detect and pursue prey. Like other hollow-dependent bats in Australia, populations are sensitive to the loss of large, old eucalypts with natural cavities. The IUCN classifies Chalinolobus morio as Least Concern given its broad distribution and relatively large population across Australia. Ongoing threats include hollow-bearing tree removal, roost disturbance, cat predation, and barbed wire entanglement.