Mammals Active at night

Yellow-bellied Glider

Petaurus australis

iNaturalist Wikipedia

With its acrobatic leaps and haunting night-time shrieks, the Yellow-bellied Glider is the undisputed star of Australia's tall forests. This fluffy, sap-loving marsupial is a master of the canopy, capable of gliding the length of a football field in a single bound.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Head-body length 27–30 cm (10.6–11.8 in), tail 42–48 cm (16.5–18.9 in), weighing 450–700 g (1–1.5 lbs)

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Colors

Grey-brown upperparts, creamy-white to vivid orange-yellow belly (brightens with age), dark stripe down the back, black ears and feet.

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Key Features

Large, pointed, hairless ears
Extremely long, bushy tail
Characteristic V-shaped feeding scars on eucalypt trunks
Furry gliding membrane extending from wrist to ankle

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active at night

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Peak hours 8 PM - 4 AM

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Season Year-round

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Diet Primarily a specialist feeder on eucalypt sap, supplemented by nectar, pollen, honeydew, and occasionally wood-boring insects or spiders.

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Habitat Tall, mature eucalypt forests and woodlands with hollow-bearing trees, primarily in coastal and highland areas.

public Geographic range

Where Does the Yellow-bellied Glider Live?

Native to the continent of Australia, the Yellow-bellied Glider occupies a long, narrow strip of temperate and subtropical forest along the eastern seaboard. Its range stretches from the tropical reaches of North Queensland down through New South Wales and into the cooler forests of central and southern Victoria. While they were once more widespread, they are now primarily found in high-rainfall areas where old-growth trees provide the large hollows they need for nesting and survival.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

1 Countries

1.2M km² Range

Near Threatened Conservation

AU Australia

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

The Yellow-bellied Glider is a highly social and vocal marsupial, often heard long before it is seen. Living in family groups of up to six individuals, they occupy large home ranges and are famous for their loud, shriek-like calls that can carry for hundreds of meters through the forest canopy. They are the most athletic of Australia's gliders, capable of soaring distances of up to 140 meters in a single leap, steered by their remarkably long, bushy tails.

While they are nocturnal and shy, their presence is often betrayed by their unique feeding habits. They are 'sap-tappers,' using their sharp incisor teeth to gouge V-shaped notches into the bark of specific 'feed trees' to reach the sugary sap beneath. While they generally avoid direct human contact, they are sometimes spotted by homeowners whose properties border old-growth forests, especially during the winter months when flowering gums provide a critical food source.

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Camera Tips

Capturing a Yellow-bellied Glider on camera requires focusing on their very specific 'feed trees.' Look for eucalypts with fresh, weeping V-shaped notches in the bark; these are the gliders' signature sap-tapping sites and they will return to them repeatedly. Mount your camera 3 to 5 meters up the trunk, angled slightly downward to face these incisions. Ensure the camera is set to its highest trigger speed, as these gliders move surprisingly fast when scurrying up bark or launching into a glide.

Since they are strictly nocturnal, a camera with a high-quality 'No-Glow' infrared flash is essential to avoid spooking the animals or washing out the image with a white flash. To increase your chances, you can create a 'honey water' spray (a mix of honey and water) and apply it liberally to the bark around the camera's field of view. This mimics the sweet scents they naturally seek out and will encourage them to linger in front of the lens longer while they lick the residue.

Timing is everything—while they are active year-round, you'll have the most success during the flowering peaks of local eucalypts like Spotted Gum or Grey Ironbark. If your camera has a video mode, use it. The Yellow-bellied Glider is incredibly vocal, and capturing their distinctive 'shriek-and-gurgle' call adds a whole new dimension to your wildlife monitoring. Place your camera on a tree with a clear 'flight path' nearby, as you might even catch a glimpse of them mid-glide if the sensor has a wide enough angle.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Yellow-bellied Glider.

Sugar Glider

Much smaller (roughly palm-sized) with smaller ears and a less bushy tail; lacks the bright yellow-orange belly of an adult P. australis.

Greater Glider

Larger and clumsier on the ground, with huge, fluffy ears and a diet consisting exclusively of eucalypt leaves rather than sap and nectar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yellow-bellied Gliders are strictly nocturnal. They emerge from their tree hollows shortly after dusk and are most active during the middle of the night, returning to their nests before dawn.

If you live near a forest, you can attract them by preserving old-growth trees with hollows and planting winter-flowering eucalypts. Avoid using barbed wire fencing, which is a major hazard for gliding mammals.

Their diet is highly specialized, consisting mostly of eucalypt sap, nectar, and pollen. They also eat honeydew and insects found under bark to get necessary protein.

They are rarely found in dense urban areas. They require large, connected patches of mature forest, though they can be found in 'backyard' forests on the urban fringe of cities like Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.

Yellow-bellied Gliders are much larger—nearly double the size of a Sugar Glider. They also have much larger, hairless ears and a distinctly bushy tail that is significantly longer than their body.

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