Sample collection
In 2018, we netted Tequila bats (L. yerbabuenae ) while they were returning from a night’s foraging trip. A mist net was positioned at the entrance of the roosting cave located in the Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve in Northern Sonora, Mexico. Bats were immediately removed from the net and kept in a soft cloth bag until processed (< 60 minutes). Animals were handled following guidelines from the ASM for animal care (Sikes et al.2016) and local regulations (Permit Number: SGPA/DGVS/06361/17). A single faecal pellet was collected from the cloth bag and preserved in a safe-lock 1.5-ml Eppendorf tube containing 500 µl DNA/RNA shield (Zymo Research Europe GmbH, Germany). The tube was shaken to ensure the maximum impregnation of the sample with the buffer and then stored in a cool place until it could be frozen at -20°C. For the present study, we used samples from eight randomly chosen individuals.
Mockingbird (M. parvulus ) individuals were captured between 2007 and 2008 at various sites across the Galapagos Islands. Birds were trapped by using mist nets or potter traps. Faecal pellets from the birds were collected in ethanol and stored at -20°C. Further details about the capturing procedure are given in Hoecket al.(2010) and Štefka et al. (2011). In the present study, we used samples from ten randomly chosen individuals inhabiting the islands of Santiago, Santa Cruz, and Marchena (Fleischer et al ., in review).