Freetail

Mexican free-tailed bats, known as Freetails in the Silverwing series, are a species of free-tailed bats distributed across the Americas. They are regarded as one of the most common mammals on the continent. Mexican free-tailed bats and other species in the family Molossidae are named after their long tails which extend past the end of their tail membrane.

In the Silverwing series
Freetails are described as being imposing figures that are noticeably larger in size than other northern bat species. They have long tails that enable them to be agile in flight.

The only notable member of the species featured is Halo, the chief elder of Bridge City who appears in Sunwing. Several unnamed Freetail guards who accompany Halo are also mentioned.

List of characters

 * Halo

Trivia

 * Mexican free-tailed bats were the primary test subjects for the United States' incendiary weapons experiment, Project X-Ray, in the 1940s. This experiment was also Kenneth Oppel's main inspiration for the story of Sunwing.
 * The largest urban bat colony in the world is located under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, which is also the landmark that Bridge City is based on. It is home to an estimated 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats during the summer.
 * The Mexican free-tailed bat is also the official flying mammal of the state of Texas.