Brown flower bat

The brown flower bat (Erophylla bombifrons) is a leaf-nosed bat of the family Phyllostomidae that lives on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and on Puerto Rico. Some authorities treat it as part of the buffy flower bat, and two subspecies are recognised, Erophylla bombifrons bombifrons and E. b. santacristobalensis. It is a hot cave species that can roost in colonies of thousands in the warmer parts of caves, and it is locally common. It begins foraging later than most bats and eats a mix of fruit, nectar and insects, with about half of surveyed individuals having eaten all three in their last foraging period, including Jamaican cherry, elderberry and turkey berry fruit and nectar from banana, guava and wild tamarind flowers. The IUCN rates it Least Concern because of its population and range, though general cave problems, hurricanes and mining in its habitat are its main threats.