SEVILLE — A June 29 report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that Jan Brueghel the Elder's 1611 painting, "Air," accurately depicts a greater noctule bat holding a songbird. This artistic depiction occurred centuries before scientists documented this specific predatory behavior in the 21st century.

The painting, an allegorical work by the Flemish artist, features a figure in its upper right quadrant identified as a greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) with a songbird in its jaws. The work depicts more than 60 different airborne species, including recognizable birds such as parrots, swans, a turkey, and an ostrich. Four creatures appearing to be bats are visible in the painting, with the largest exhibiting reddish-brown fur, round ears, and long wings.

Pedro Romero-Vidal, an ecologist at Doñana Biological Station in Seville, Spain, was identifying animals in historical paintings to examine clues about historical ecology when he encountered the bat depiction. "I had never encountered a similar scene in any of the many paintings I had previously examined," Romero-Vidal said. The painting also features Urania, the Muse of astronomy, surrounded by atmospheric creatures, and includes the Roman gods Apollo and Diana driving chariots of the sun and moon.

Scientists directly documented greater noctule bats snatching songbirds from the air last fall. Bioacoustician Ilias Foskolos, from Aarhus University in Denmark, has recorded sounds of these bats catching, dismembering, and eating songbirds. "It's an intense event, let's put it that way," Foskolos said. He noted that this predation occurs at high altitudes.

Foskolos was not involved in the research regarding the painting "Air." Researchers have published clues since the early 2000s suggesting that greater noctule bats incorporate birds into their diets. Feathers from as many as 31 songbird species have been identified in the excrement of greater noctule bats.

"Art can be a valuable source of natural history information," Romero-Vidal said. He added that "artists often exercised considerable artistic license," but noted, "They can still preserve valuable observations about the natural world." Jan Brueghel the Elder, a native of Brussels, visited Italy, where the greater noctule bat lives and hunts.