The grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus Temminck) is a threatened large fruit bat endemic to Australia. It roosts in large colonies in rainforest patches, mangroves, open forest, riparian woodland and, as native habitat is reduced, increasingly in vegetation within urban environments. The general biology, ecology and behaviour of this bat remain largely unknown, which makes it difficult to effectively monitor, protect and manage this species. The current study provides baseline information on the daytime behaviour of P. poliocephalus in an autumn/winter roost in urban Sydney, Australia, between April and August 2003. The most common daytime behaviours expressed by the flying foxes were sleeping (most common), grooming, mating/courtship, and wing spreading (least common). Behaviours differed significantly between times of day and seasons (autumn and winter). Active behaviours (i.e., grooming, mating/courtship, wing spreading) occurred mainly in the morning, while sleeping predominated in the afternoon. Mating/courtship and wing spreading were significantly higher in April (reproductive period) than in winter (non-reproductive period). Grooming was the only behaviour that showed no significant variation between sample periods. These results provide important baseline data for future comparative studies on the behaviours of flying foxes from urban and ?natural? camps, and the development of management strategies for this species.

Predators can have non-lethal effects on prey by causing animals to restrict their foraging in order to avoid predation risk. These effects can be of conservation concern when an introduced predator constrains the foraging behaviour of a threatened species, and therefore its access to resources. We examined the spatial response of foraging in endangered brush-tailed rock-wallabies to predation risk and food while taking into account the potentially competitive role of sympatric herbivores. We compared the occurrence (presence/absence) of rock-wallaby faecal pellets to the availability of edible vegetation, presence of sympatric macropods and predation risk factors such as distance from refuge and presence of shelter points. Rock-wallabies managed predation risk by foraging closer to their refuge and more often at shelter points. They foraged more where edible vegetation was higher, but only in the absence of predators and sympatric macropods, indicating that rock-wallaby foraging is restricted by their interactions with other species. The constraints on foraging behaviour demonstrated in this study can be used to guide management strategies aimed at conserving rockwallaby populations.