Three-dimensional analysis of aphid landing behaviour in the laboratory and field

The final second of the landing approach of black bean aphids, Aphis fabae, was analysed in three dimensions using video techniques. A yellow landing platform was placed upwind or downwind from aphids aggregating under a ceiling light in a laboratory wind tunnel with 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 cm s^–1 wind speeds, and up-tunnel or down-tunnel in still air. As individual aphids flew to the platform, body orientation (assessed by direct observation) was predominantly into-wind whether the initial flight direction to the landing platform was upwind or downwind. A greater proportion showed into-wind body orientation as wind speed increased. Flight track parameters which differed significantly between wind speeds were the track length, linear start to finish distance, linearity index, horizontal ground speed, speed vertical to the ground, vertical turning rate, and horizontal turning rate. The position of the landing platform was important for track length, linear start to finish distance, horizontal ground speed, three-dimensional turning rate, horizontal turning rate, vertical turning rate, and sinuosity. As wind speed increased above 30 cm s^–1 the ground speed became more consistent and indicated considerable variation in air speed to adjust for ground speed. For the majority of aphids there was a strong preference (88%) for into-wind landings with initial upwind directed flight, while for downwind flights a significant number (55%) of insects reversed initial flight direction and landed into-wind. Field recorded landings showed that 66% of aphids landed into-wind and there was a mean bearing to the wind of 71 ± 42°, a similar finding to wind-tunnel studies.     

Intraguild predation by aphidophagous predators on parasitised aphids: the use of multiple video cameras

A video technique that allows simultaneous behavioural observations of several experimental replicates under field and laboratory conditions is described. The technique was used to analyse predation risk of parasitised aphids in a sugar beet field. The images of 16 black and white video cameras were recorded by a video multiplexer in combination with a time-lapse video recorder. Each camera was weather protected and equipped with a single infrared diode to allow observations during night times. Single leaves carrying aphid mummies only or mummies and unparasitised aphids were monitored. All colonies were exposed to predation and parasitation by the community of natural enemies in the field. Colonies with mummies and unparasitised aphids were visited significantly more often by predators than those without additional aphids. Predators also stayed significantly longer in patches with unparasitised aphids. Although an equal proportion of aphid mummies were destroyed in both treatments, the video analysis showed differences in predator species spectrum between treatments. In patches with aphids, coccinellid and hemipteran predators preyed on mummies, while in patches with only mummies, chrysopids accounted for most of the damage. The decrease in parasitoid survival could be attributed to the increasing number of predator visits in aphid patches and to a lesser extent to the decreasing number of unparasitised aphids (alternative prey). Parasitoid survival in colonies without alternative prey was correlated with the number of predator visits and the time predators spent on a leaf.Continuous video observations gave additional behavioural information for the interpretation of field data. Other prospective research fields for the use of the multi video camera technique are outlined and general advantages and disadvantages are discussed.     

适用于蚜虫等微小昆虫的飞行磨系统

介绍了一套采用计算机进行控制和数据采集的适用于蚜虫等微小昆虫的飞行磨系统。该系统能同时对32头昆虫进行飞行测试,并对测试数据进行自动分析处理。利用该飞行磨系统对不同日龄禾缢管蚜的飞行能力进行了初步测试。结果表明,禾缢管蚜在第1至第5日龄的飞行能力最强,明显高于第7和第9日龄。平均飞行时间在各日龄之间差异不显著,但平均飞行速度随日龄的增加而逐渐降低。本文对飞行磨结构、数据采集接口板电路原理和软件流程设计等方面均进行了较为详细的介绍。并简要介绍了不同日龄禾缢管蚜的飞行能力测试结果。对开展微小型昆虫的飞行行为学研究具有较为重要的参考价值。     

Optic flow-based collision-free strategies: From insects to robots

Flying insects are able to fly smartly in an unpredictable environment. It has been found that flying insects have smart neurons inside their tiny brains that are sensitive to visual motion also called optic flow. Consequently, flying insects rely mainly on visual motion during their flight maneuvers such as: takeoff or landing, terrain following, tunnel crossing, lateral and frontal obstacle avoidance, and adjusting flight speed in a cluttered environment. Optic flow can be defined as the vector field of the apparent motion of objects, surfaces, and edges in a visual scene generated by the relative motion between an observer (an eye or a camera) and the scene. Translational optic flow is particularly interesting for short-range navigation because it depends on the ratio between (i) the relative linear speed of the visual scene with respect to the observer and (ii) the distance of the observer from obstacles in the surrounding environment without any direct measurement of either speed or distance. In flying insects, roll stabilization reflex and yaw saccades attenuate any rotation at the eye level in roll and yaw respectively (i.e. to cancel any rotational optic flow) in order to ensure pure translational optic flow between two successive saccades. Our survey focuses on feedback-loops which use the translational optic flow that insects employ for collision-free navigation. Optic flow is likely, over the next decade to be one of the most important visual cues that can explain flying insects' behaviors for short-range navigation maneuvers in complex tunnels. Conversely, the biorobotic approach can therefore help to develop innovative flight control systems for flying robots with the aim of mimicking flying insects’ abilities and better understanding their flight.     

Observations on different methods of aphid trapping

Cylindrical and horizontal sticky traps painted in a range of spectral colours were used to determine the flight and landing behaviour of aphids. Data are also presented on aphid catches in suction traps at two heights and in light traps. Apart from colour sensitivity (yellow versus white) there was apparently a separate response to colour which in some species varied with season. Within yellow-sensitive species there was also a differential response to colour. With the experimental methods used, it was not possible to define mathematically the active and passive landing components on cylindrical traps. Though the active landing component was large it varied between aphid species. Most species caught on horizontal traps at ground level had been flying above 1 m. In some species the response of males to colour and their landing behaviour differed from that of viviparae and oviparae. Four years data from suction traps suggest that aphid species can be divided into three categories on the basis of the height at which they normally fly. One group, mostly tree-feeders, always show the greatest density at a high level (12.2 m) throughout the season. The second group always have the highest density at a low level (1 m) whilst a third group of species change at a specific date each autumn from a maximum density at 1–12.2 m. Attraction to light (moth trap) appeared to be linked with the grouping of species by height of flight. The interpretation of catch data is discussed in the light of these observations.     

A Computer-Controlled Video System for Real-Time Recording of Insect Flight in Three Dimensions

A computer-controlled video system for real-time recording of insect flight in three dimensions is described. The flight paths of moths were recorded in a flight tunnel using two CCD cameras placed adjacent to each other at angles of 45 and 135° to the flight tunnel axis and separated by a distance of 120 cm. They were connected to two 2⁸-level gray-scale frame grabbers via two external synchronizers. The two-dimensional coordinates of the flying insect were obtained from the two cameras at 40-ms intervals and transferred to host computer for processing and monitor for real-time display. Due to speed limitation in the image acquisition hardware, construction of the three-dimensional file was carried off-line. The flying insect was rendered as a dark spot in a bright background using a homogeneous light source. As the insect enters into the field of view of the two cameras, the light distribution changes, and the frame grabber detects only those variation in the light distribution which results from a flying insect. The target insect can be as small as 3 pixels and can be tracked in a stereoscopic field of view 60 cm long and 50 cm high. A method was developed that allowed for scalar scoring of various pheromone sources to assess their attractiveness using vector flight parameters. This method was applied successfully for optimization of pheromone blend of the grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana.     

Visuomotor Response to Object Expansion in Free-Flying Bumble Bees

The flight control systems of flying insects enable many kinds of sophisticated maneuvers, including avoidance of midair collisions. Visuomotor response to an approaching object, received as image expansion on insects’ retina, is a complex event in a dynamic environment where both animals and objects are moving. There are intensive free flight studies on the landing response in which insects receive image expansion by their own movement. However, few studies have been conducted regarding how freely flying insects respond to approaching objects. Here, using common laboratory insects for behavioral research, the bumblebee Bombus ignitus, we examined their visual response to an approaching object in the free-flying condition. While the insect was slowly flying in a free-flight arena, an expanding stripe was projected laterally from one side of the arena with a high-speed digital mirror device projector. Rather than turning away reported before, the bumble bees performed complex flight maneuvers. We synchronized flight trajectories, orientations and wing stroke frequencies with projection parameters of temporal resolution in 0.5 ms, and analyzed the instantaneous relationship between visual input and behavioral output. In their complex behavioral responses, we identified the following two visuomotor behaviors: increasing stroke frequency when the bumble bees confront the stripe expansion, and turning towards (not away) the stripe expansion when it is located laterally to the bee. Our results suggested that the response to object expansion is not a simple and reflexive escape but includes object fixation, presumably for subsequent behavioral choice.     

Monitoring bird migration with a fixed-beam radar and a thermal-imaging camera

ABSTRACT.   Previous studies using thermal imaging cameras (TI) have used target size as an indicator of target altitude when radar was not available, but this approach may lead to errors if birds that differ greatly in size are actually flying at the same altitude. To overcome this potential difficulty and obtain more accurate measures of the flight altitudes and numbers of individual migrants, we have developed a technique that combines a vertically pointed stationary radar beam and a vertically pointed thermal imaging camera (VERTRAD/TI). The TI provides accurate counts of the birds passing through a fixed, circular sampling area in the TI display, and the radar provides accurate data on their flight altitudes. We analyzed samples of VERTRAD/TI video data collected during nocturnal fall migration in 2000 and 2003 and during the arrival of spring trans-Gulf migration during the daytime in 2003. We used a video peak store (VPS) to make time exposures of target tracks in the video record of the TI and developed criteria to distinguish birds, foraging bats, and insects based on characteristics of the tracks in the VPS images and the altitude of the targets. The TI worked equally well during daytime and nighttime observations and best when skies were clear, because thermal radiance from cloud heat often obscured targets. The VERTRAD/TI system, though costly, is a valuable tool for measuring accurate bird migration traffic rates (the number of birds crossing 1609.34 m [1 statute mile] of front per hour) for different altitudinal strata above 25 m. The technique can be used to estimate the potential risk of migrating birds colliding with man-made obstacles of various heights (e.g., communication and broadcast towers and wind turbines)—a subject of increasing importance to conservation biologists.     

Wind matters: Asymmetric distribution of aphids on host plants can be explained by stems functioning as windbreaks

Understanding how abiotic factors influence organisms at present is the necessary first step to predict how species assemblages could be affected by climate change in the future. We examined how wind, a poorly studied abiotic factor, affects the distribution and abundance of two aphid species, Uroleucon aeneum and Brachycaudus cardui (hereafter black and green aphids, respectively), that live on the thistle Carduus thoermeri (Asteraceae) in a windy region of Patagonia, Argentina. First, considering the prevailing wind direction, we described the distribution of both aphid species around plant stems. Then, we performed a bi‐factorial experiment in which we cut stems with aphids to manipulate their position respect to wind (exposed/unexposed) and to control wind incidence (protected/unprotected). Finally, using the species most affected by wind, we examined possible mechanisms through which wind could affect aphids. Both aphid species were less abundant on the side of the stem exposed to wind respect to the unexposed side; and this pattern was stronger for the black aphid. When black aphids were positioned exposed to wind and without protection, their proportion changed towards the unexposed side of the stem; while green aphids showed a weaker response to wind. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that wind triggered both the detachment of black aphids and their movement towards the unexposed side of the stem. Our results showed that wind can explain the asymmetric distribution of aphids around plants and that stems can act as windbreaks. In a less windy future scenario, aphids could expand their foraging area, reaching higher infestation rates, which could affect their role in structuring ant assemblages and their status as crop pests. This work highlights the importance of testing the effects of less studied abiotic factors to fully understand how climate change could impact on the abundance and distribution of animals in the future.     

南京地区棉蚜的飞行活动节律及其飞行能力

昆虫的飞行活动规律及飞行能力是研究其能否迁飞的基础。通过采用春季到秋季20 m高空黄盆诱蚜、高空所诱蚜和春季木槿树上有翅蚜的卵巢解剖,以及春夏秋三季田间有翅蚜的吊飞试验等方法,研究了南京地区棉蚜Aphis gossypii的飞行活动节律和飞行能力。结果表明,有翅棉蚜的日羽化高峰出现在19:00～20:00。2001年南京地区棉蚜的春、秋两季迁飞高峰分别在5月8日和10月25日。5月份高空诱集的棉蚜中,95.7%个体的卵巢小管数在7条以下,而木槿上羽化后1天的有翅蚜中有35.2%个体的卵巢小管数在7条以上;高空诱蚜和木槿上蚜的平均卵巢小管数存在极显著差异,分别为3.94±1.65和5.88±1.92。8月中下旬棉田棉蚜存在低空飞行行为,并且出现飞行高峰时有翅蚜的卵巢小管数平均在6条以下,超过6条则停止飞行。羽化后1～2天有翅棉蚜吊飞个体的飞行比率和平均飞行距离表现为春、秋季显著大于夏季,三季的最长飞行距离分别为3.89 km、6.15 km和1.44 km。     

A method for the rapid measurement of thermal tolerance traits in studies of small insects

Abstract A technique for rapidly measuring non‐lethal thermal tolerance traits in small insects and terrestrial arthropods of similar size is described. Single or multiple individuals are heated or cooled in an arena milled into a temperature‐controlled aluminium block and their behaviour recorded continuously using a digital video camera. Data are collected retrospectively by playback of the stored images. To illustrate this technique measurement of six thermal tolerance traits using this method is described using first instar nymphs (body length = 0.66 mm) of the aphid Myzus persicae. These traits are high and low temperatures at which individual aphids cease walking, high and low temperatures at which aphids move for the final time, the temperature at which aphids begin to recover from chill coma, and the temperature at which they begin to walk again. The method is validated by comparing the results of multiple low temperature assays. No significant differences are detected between assays. Potential applications, limitations and technical problems are discussed.     

Farm‐scale assessment of movement patterns and colonization dynamics of the grain aphid in arable crops and hedgerows

1 Integrated management of crop pests requires the identification of the appropriate spatial scale at which colonization processes occurs. We assessed, by coupling demographic and genetic methods, the relative contribution of local and transient migrants of the grain aphid Sitobion avenae to wheat field colonization in spring. 2 We examined, during two consecutive years, the daily colonization of wheat by aphid migrants and compared this with daily aphid flight monitored by a local 12.2‐m suction trap. The genetic profiles of aphids landing on crops were compared with those of both flying aphids caught by the suction trap and local populations from arable crops and hedgerows. 3 In the first year, we observed: (i) a strong correlation between aphids colonizing the crop and those moving within the crop and a close genetic similarity between aphids from these samples and (ii) a high level of genetic differentiation between these aphids and populations from local cereals and field margins. In the second year, the number of migrants recorded on the wheat was three‐fold higher than in the previous year, and less correlated with that recorded by the suction trap. This was associated with a lack of genetic differentiation between all samples. 4 This variation in the colonization processes resulted mainly in an abrupt increase in abundance of genotypes from local over‐wintering sites in 2004. This suggests that, despite the long range dispersal potential of the grain aphid, outbreak risks could be mainly determined at a local scale, encouraging the design of relatively small management units.     

Modulation of whitefly take-off and flight orientation by wind speed and visual cues

The effect of different wind speeds on take-off and flight orientation of the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), was studied in the presence of a green visual stimulus which reflected 550 ± 10 nm light, or a white stimulus of the same intensity. When the white light was present, take-off was negatively correlated with wind speed. Analysis of the flight tracks of whiteflies in 0, 15 and 30 cm/s wind with the white light present showed that flight was not directed toward the stimulus in zero wind, and that insects were carried downwind as the wind increased. Net displacement downwind was significantly slower than the wind speed, indicating that B. tabaci can control its rate of displacement relative to its surroundings, and is not always passively transported by the wind. In the presence of the green visual stimulus, take-off and flight behaviour of B. tabaci was markedly different to that observed in the presence of the white light. Taking off was more likely and whiteflies made upwind orientated flights, landing on the illuminated section of the screen when it reflected green light. At all wind speeds tested, the mean ground speeds of B. tabaci were approximately 20 cm/s whether the insects were flying upwind or downwind. This uniformity of ground speed regardless of the changing effects of wind-induced drift in different directions strongly suggests that whiteflies actively control their ground speed using visual flow fields in a manner similar to all other flying insects examined thus far.     

Camera traps are an effective tool for monitoring insect–plant interactions

Insect and pollinator populations are vitally important to the health of ecosystems, food production, and economic stability, but are declining worldwide. New, cheap, and simple monitoring methods are necessary to inform management actions and should be available to researchers around the world. Here, we evaluate the efficacy of a commercially available, close‐focus automated camera trap to monitor insect–plant interactions and insect behavior. We compared two video settings—scheduled and motion‐activated—to a traditional human observation method. Our results show that camera traps with scheduled video settings detected more insects overall than humans, but relative performance varied by insect order. Scheduled cameras significantly outperformed motion‐activated cameras, detecting more insects of all orders and size classes. We conclude that scheduled camera traps are an effective and relatively inexpensive tool for monitoring interactions between plants and insects of all size classes, and their ease of accessibility and set‐up allows for the potential of widespread use. The digital format of video also offers the benefits of recording, sharing, and verifying observations.     

Flight behaviour of the black bean aphid, Aphis fabae, and the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae, in host and non-host plant odour

Abstract. Walking alate virginoparae of Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) and Aphis fabae Scopoli were presented with odours of steam-distilled extracts of the non-host plants summer savoury ( Satureja hortensis L.) and tansy ( Tanacetum vulgare L.) in an olfactometer. No effects of the extracts were observed on B. brassicae. However, A.fabae were repelled by summer savoury and tansy odour; both extracts also masked an attractant response to bean (host plant) odour. In a flight chamber, air permeated with odour from host or non-host plants was blown over flying alates of both species, with a green, plant-mimicking target presented once a minute. The incidence of targeted (host-responsive) flight of B.brassicae was not affected by odour from a growing host plant ( Brassica oleoracea ) or a non-host plant tansy. Host plant ( Vicia faba ) odour did not affect the initial rate of climb or the incidence of targeted flight of A.fabae , but when the bean odour was alternated with odour from non-host tansy plants a greater number of targeted flights occurred in the host plant odour. The volatile extracts of tansy and summer savoury were also presented to flying A.fabae. Aphids flying in air permeated with tansy odour at 450g plant equivalents initiated fewer targeted flights than when flying in clean air. However, no differences in flight behaviour were observed with summer savoury extract. In a horizontal wind tunnel the tansy extract at 90 g plant equivalents blown across the surface of yellow targets reduced the numbers of alate A.fabae landing. The results indicate that plant odours can affect flight and landing of aphids.     

How Lovebirds Maneuver Rapidly Using Super-Fast Head Saccades and Image Feature Stabilization

Diurnal flying animals such as birds depend primarily on vision to coordinate their flight path during goal-directed flight tasks. To extract the spatial structure of the surrounding environment, birds are thought to use retinal image motion (optical flow) that is primarily induced by motion of their head. It is unclear what gaze behaviors birds perform to support visuomotor control during rapid maneuvering flight in which they continuously switch between flight modes. To analyze this, we measured the gaze behavior of rapidly turning lovebirds in a goal-directed task: take-off and fly away from a perch, turn on a dime, and fly back and land on the same perch. High-speed flight recordings revealed that rapidly turning lovebirds perform a remarkable stereotypical gaze behavior with peak saccadic head turns up to 2700 degrees per second, as fast as insects, enabled by fast neck muscles. In between saccades, gaze orientation is held constant. By comparing saccade and wingbeat phase, we find that these super-fast saccades are coordinated with the downstroke when the lateral visual field is occluded by the wings. Lovebirds thus maximize visual perception by overlying behaviors that impair vision, which helps coordinate maneuvers. Before the turn, lovebirds keep a high contrast edge in their visual midline. Similarly, before landing, the lovebirds stabilize the center of the perch in their visual midline. The perch on which the birds land swings, like a branch in the wind, and we find that retinal size of the perch is the most parsimonious visual cue to initiate landing. Our observations show that rapidly maneuvering birds use precisely timed stereotypic gaze behaviors consisting of rapid head turns and frontal feature stabilization, which facilitates optical flow based flight control. Similar gaze behaviors have been reported for visually navigating humans. This finding can inspire more effective vision-based autopilots for drones.     

Odour-mediated upwind flight of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes elicited by a synthetic attractant

Abstract A wind tunnel and video equipment are used to study the long-range and close-range responses of gravid females of Culex quinquefasciatus Say to a synthetic pheromone, eryrthro -6-acetoxy-5-hexadecanolide. In response to water and acetoxyhexadecanolide, together or independently, in the presence of wind, females follow meandering flight paths upwind. Females have a higher rate of turning and a lower flight-speed when landing at a site containing pheromone than at a comparable site without pheromone. Females stay longer at oviposition sites containing the attractant than at sites with no attractant.     

Effect of nymphal diet on adult predation behavior in Orius majusculus (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae)

The predatory bug Orius majusculus (Reuter) was reared on 2 different diets during the nymphal stages. The 1st group was exclusively offered eggs of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), a standard diet for O. majusculus production. The 2nd group was exclusively offered 4th instars of the pea aphid, Acyrtosiphon pisum (Harris). Subsequently, adult predatory behavior in experimental arenas containing A. pisium was recorded using 2 video cameras. One camera permitted observation of the predator's contact with the prey, where the 2nd camera viewed the arena from above to record the path taken by O. majusculus adults before and after contact with prey. When O. majusculus were reared on aphids, adult bugs successfully located and consumed 55% of experimental prey and continued prey search behavior after each aphid meal. O. majusculus adults that had no experience of aphid predation as nymphs, did not prey on aphids in the experimental arena. The mean walking speed of this group of predators increased from 5.9 +/- 1.2 mm/s to 9.8 +/- 0.7 mm/s after contact or detection of prey, indicating that predators rapidly moved away from unfamiliar prey. Moreover, for egg-reared O. majusculus, all contacts between aphid and predator were lateral, along the side of the prey and were effectively repelled by an aphid kicking response. In contrast, 83% of attacks by aphid-reared O. majusculus were directed at the head or posterior abdomen for which the prey could not defend themselves adequately. When egg-reared O. majusculus were exposed to novel aphid prey for 1-8 d, the frequency of aphid attack increased significantly. We conclude that the standard diet used for rearing O. majusculus may adversely affect the efficiency of this predator as an agent of biological control.     

基于吸虫塔（Suction Trap）的蚜虫测报预警网络的构建

吸虫塔（suction trap）是用来监测麦类蚜虫和大豆蚜Aphis glycines迁飞种群动态的大型植保测报设备,在欧洲和北美洲已经呈网络安装分布,为蚜虫的预警和防控提供重要依据。作者借鉴欧美吸虫塔的工作原理和设计,设计并生产了符合我国地域特征的吸虫塔设备,在东北、华北、华中、华东、西北等地布点安装了21台,用于监控我国麦类蚜虫和大豆蚜的迁飞动态,初步形成覆盖我国小麦主产区和大豆主产区的吸虫塔网络系统。此吸虫塔总高8.8m,由底部轴流风机运转产生的负压在塔顶部形成吸力,将迁飞经附近的小型昆虫吸入塔管,最后落入下部的样品收集瓶中,以此获得其迁飞的动态数据。吸虫塔网络的构建和完善,不仅为麦类蚜虫和大豆蚜的监控提供支撑,同时也为其它小型迁飞性昆虫监测、种群动态、生物多样性、生物信息学等研究提供数据。     

Do you hear what I see? Vocalization relative to visual detection rates of Hawaiian hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus semotus)

Bats vocalize during flight as part of the sensory modality called echolocation, but very little is known about whether flying bats consistently call. Occasional vocal silence during flight when bats approach prey or conspecifics has been documented for relatively few species and situations. Bats flying alone in clutter‐free airspace are not known to forgo vocalization, yet prior observations suggested possible silent behavior in certain, unexpected situations. Determining when, why, and where silent behavior occurs in bats will help evaluate major assumptions of a primary monitoring method for bats used in ecological research, management, and conservation. In this study, we recorded flight activity of Hawaiian hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) under seminatural conditions using both thermal video cameras and acoustic detectors. Simultaneous video and audio recordings from 20 nights of observation at 10 sites were analyzed for correspondence between detection methods, with a focus on video observations in three distance categories for which accompanying vocalizations were detected. Comparison of video and audio detections revealed that a high proportion of Hawaiian hoary bats “seen” on video were not simultaneously “heard.” On average, only about one in three visual detections within a night had an accompanying call detection, but this varied greatly among nights. Bats flying on curved flight paths and individuals nearer the cameras were more likely to be detected by both methods. Feeding and social calls were detected, but no clear pattern emerged from the small number of observations involving closely interacting bats. These results may indicate that flying Hawaiian hoary bats often forgo echolocation, or do not always vocalize in a way that is detectable with common sampling and monitoring methods. Possible reasons for the low correspondence between visual and acoustic detections range from methodological to biological and include a number of biases associated with the propagation and detection of sound, cryptic foraging strategies, or conspecific presence. Silent flight behavior may be more prevalent in echolocating bats than previously appreciated, has profound implications for ecological research, and deserves further characterization and study.