Study Finds Possible Bird-Eating Bat in 17th-Century Painting
Jan Brueghel bat painting reveals rare bird-eating behavior in stunning detail See how art may rewrite wildlife history and uncover overlooked biodiversity clues
Researchers say a 17thcentury painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder may show a greater noctule bat catching and eating a bird in flight, a behaviour scientists only confirmed last year.
The observation comes from the artwork Air, which includes more than 60 bird species and several bats. Ecologists studying the painting say the detail may reflect real naturalhistory knowledge, even if the artist likely did not witness the hunt directly.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests historical paintings could hold overlooked clues about wildlife behaviour and past biodiversity.