Little yellow-shouldered bat

The little yellow-shouldered bat (Sturnira lilium) is a medium-sized fruit-eating bat of the New World leaf-nosed family Phyllostomidae. It ranges through the Neotropics from northern Mexico through Central America and tropical and subtropical South America to Chile, northern Argentina and Brazil, and also reaches the Lesser Antilles. It lives in many kinds of forest as well as farmland and open ground, mostly below about 1,000 metres. Adults weigh roughly 13 to 18 grams, have a wingspan near 30 centimetres and carry no tail. Males take the common name from the yellow to reddish stain on their shoulder hairs, left by a scented secretion from shoulder glands that helps attract mates. The bats roost alone or in small groups in tree cavities, forage after dusk in the forest understory and canopy, and prefer the fruit of nightshades. By spreading seeds and pollen they help forests regenerate, and the species tolerates deforestation better than most bats. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern.