Echolocation calls of free-flying common vampire bats Desmodus rotundus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in Chile

We recorded and characterized the echolocation calls emitted by the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus during foraging in natural habitats in Chile. Signal design typically shows multiple harmonics consisting of a brief quasi-constant frequency (QCF) component at the beginning of the pulse followed by a downward frequency modulated component. Calls are characterized by long durations (5.5 ms) and emitted as single pulses or in groups of 2-3 pulses at a repetition rate of 29 Hz. The higher frequency ranges (85-35 kHz) and the unusual QCF component that characterized multiharmonic signals of free-flying D. rotundus in Chile is a remarkable feature for acoustic identification with other Chilean bats.