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Grey Long-eared
| Grey Long-eared bats (Plecotus austriacus)
are medium sized bats. The ears are nearly as
long as the body but are not always obvious;
when at rest they curl their ears back like rams
horns, or tuck them away completely under their
wings leaving only the pointed inner lobe of the
ear (the tragus) visible. It can be very
difficult to distinguish the rare Grey
Long-eared from the more common
Brown Long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus).
The Grey Long-eared bat is a southern
European species which has only been found in
southern England.
Flight & ultrasound
This species emerges in darkness and is a
very skilful flier like the
Brown Long-eared. Long-eared bats are
woodland animals and often hunt by picking
insects off foliage rather than catching them in
flight. As you might expect, their huge ears are
related to this hunting method. The echolocation
pulses produced by these bats are very quiet and
this is thought to help with finding insects on
foliage as well as not warning moths of the
presence of the bat. Sometimes they do not
bother to use echolocation but can listen for
the tiny sounds that a moth's wings make as the
moth warms up, as its ears are specially attuned
to these noises.
Breeding
As with other species, Long-eared bat
breeding colonies gather in roosts during April
and May. Generally numbers are quite low,
averaging about 20 adults but colonies of up to
100 are known. Males are often found in these
roosts and are obviously tolerated by the
females. The single baby is born in June and is
able to fly by late July.
Summer roosts
Long-eared bats are most often found in older
houses with large open roof voids which allow
the bats to fly around in the roof. Bats can be
found in these roosts throughout the year,
though numbers are higher in the summer.
Long-eared bats generally form small and quiet
colonies of about 20 animals and often the first
a householder knows about them is when a visit
to the loft reveals a cluster of tiny faces
peering down from a corner of the rafters. As
well as using the roof void, the bats will tuck
themselves away behind rafters, so they may not
always be seen. A favourite roosting place is on
or above the ridge beam of the roof and a line
of droppings beneath is often a good indication
of their presence.
Winter roosts
In winter Long-eared bats may still be found
in roofs in small numbers and some are seen in
underground sites such as caves, mines and
cellars.
| Description |
Head and Body Length |
41 - 58 mm |
| |
Forearm Length |
37 - 45 mm |
| |
Wingspan |
255 - 300 mm |
| |
Weight |
7 - 14 g |
| |
Colour |
Generally larger and
greyer than
Brown Long-eared but can be confused
with juveniles of the latter. Face is
often darker with a blackish mask. |
| |
|
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| Life Cycle |
Mating Period |
|
| |
Maternity Colonies |
Late spring.
Young: usually 1 born mid to end of
June. |
| |
Colony Size |
10 - 30 females. |
| |
Longevity |
15 years |
| |
UK Status |
Rare. |
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| Habitat and Food |
Summer Roosts |
Buildings, sometimes
visible on roof beams or hidden away in
cracks and cavities. |
| |
Winter Roosts |
Caves, cellars, mines. |
| |
Feeding Habitat |
|
| |
Food |
Moths, diptera, small
beetles. |
|
Information kindly provided by
The Bat Conservation
Trust
Bechstein's
This bat loves old woodland, something we are
really short of in Cornwall. Before the tin mining
industry, Cornwall had large areas of old and
mature woodland. However, since we cleared all the
trees they have lost their homes and so Bechstein's
are now very rare.
Maybe within an old wood somewhere
in the county...............
Vagrants
Cornwall has been host to a number of vagrant species
of bats......
Bats that are not normally recorded within the
county..possibly migrating bats that have been
blown off course.
Kuhl's pipistrelle (pipistrellus
kuhlii)
This species has only been recorded once within
Cornwall. Kuhl's pipistrelle is very much like our
own Pipistrelles species and has taken advantage of
human structures especially for its summer roosts. It is
thought to use cliff crevices and cellars in the winter.
It is similar to other Pipistrelles but is larger and
tends to be lighter and yellowish coloured. Its fur
colouring can be very variable with medium or yellow
brown shades on its dorsal side and light grey fur on
its underside. Its ears, nose and membranes are a
blackish brown colour.
It has a forearm length of 31 - 36 mm, a head and
body length of 40 - 47 mm and a wingspan between 210 240
mm. Its weighs between 5 - 10 g.
Northern bat or northern serotine (eptescicus
nilssonii)
This bat is widely distributed from eastern France to
central Europe and much of Scandinavia including above
the Arctic Circle. Mainly a species of woodland edge, it
also occurs in farmland and villages. It roosts in
buildings and occasionally hiding among boulders on the
ground in caves. Like other vagrants, this species is
most likely to occur in autumn or winter.
It is similar in appearance to the Serotine (Eptesicus
serotinus) with a post-calcarial lobe, long shaggy
dark chestnut fur with gold tips and 2- 3mm of tail free
from the membrane. However with a forearm length of 37 -
44 mm it is a smaller bat and much more richly
coloured.
Notch-eared bat or geoffroy's bat (myotis
emarginatus)
 This
bat is found in caves and mines in winter and mainly in
trees and buildings in summer.
It is a medium-sized bat with a head and body length
of 41 - 53 mm, a wingspan of 220 - 245 mm and a weight
of 7 - 15 g. It is distinguished by a deep notch in the
hind margin of each ear. Its long dense and shaggy fur
has a reddish woolly appearance on the underside;
especially near the tail. Its ears resemble those of a
Natterer's but are parallel when viewed from the front (Natterer's
are splayed).
Parti-coloured bat (vespertillio murinus)
 There
are a mere 4 records of this bat in England and all were
grounded bats. It is a well-known migrant with recorded
movements of up to 850 km and has turned up occasionally
on North Sea oil rigs and ships as well as in the
Shetlands. It occurs in woodland and farmland but also
frequently in towns. Summer roosts are in trees,
buildings and rock fissures. In winter it can be found
in deeper caves and cellars or even high in buildings.
It is a medium-sized bat with forearm length of 39 -
49 mm and long claws. It has squarish ears and a short
curved tragus with a blunt round end. Its fur has dark
brown base and light tips and its head and ears are a
dark brown colour. Its underside fur is strikingly white
or grey compared to that on its back and its skin is
dark brown. The ears and membranes are thin and
translucent. The tip of the tail extends 4 - 5 mm beyond
the membrane.
Pond bat (myotis dasycneme)
 As
its name suggests this bat is likely to be found near
water. It is a northern European species that undertakes
short migrations. In winter it roosts mainly in caves,
while summer roosts are frequently in the roofs of
buildings or church towers.
It is similar in appearance to Daubenton's but is
larger with a thick-set head. It is a medium-sized
species with a forearm length of 43 - 49 mm, a head and
body length of 57 - 67 mm, wingspan of 200 - 320 mm and
a weight of 14 - 20 g. The fur is greyish-brown often
with pale tips with the whitish underfur extending on to
the undersurface of the tail membrane near the leg as
far as the notably large feet.
Cornwall is famous for the American migrant birds and
Monarch butterflies which turn up on a regular basis in
autumn. If a small warbler or tiny butterfly can travel
across the Atlantic, then surely there is a good chance
of migrating bats being found, blown off course.
Maybe we are just not looking for them or dismissing
that strange call on a bat detector!
Little brown bat (myotis lucifugus)
These bats roost in natural cavities such as under the
bark of trees. In urban settings they live in or on
areas of buildings for shelter and maternity colonies
This bat is similar to Daubenton's but has an ear
length of 14 - 18 mm (Daubenton's: 8 - 12 mm) and its
fur is not dull but sleek and glossy. The fur colouring
varies from yellowish and brown to nearly black, with
the under parts being noticeably lighter. Flight
membranes and ears are very dark brown. The feet are
covered with long fine hairs extending beyond the claws.
It is a small to medium sized bat with a wingspan of
only 220 - 270 mm weighing between 5 - 11 g.
Big brown bat (eptesicus fuscus)
 Another
bat from North America that usually finds passage on a
ship to this country. Big Brown Bats will often choose
to live year round in or on areas of buildings for
shelter, maternity colonies and hibernation. They will
also use more natural habitats such as hollow trees and
caves. They do not appear to be very social as they are
often found alone or in small groups. They also tend to
hibernate alone until low temperatures force them to
congregate.
It appears similar to the Serotine but it is usually
smaller with a forearm length of 42 - 51 mm. The
posterior edge of the curved tragus has a distinct
abrupt bend in the lower third of its structure whereas
the Serotine has a smoothly curved tragus. It is a
medium sized bat with a wingspan of 320 to 390 mm and
their weight is between 11 - 25 g. The colour of their
fur varies from between yellowish and brown to nearly
black. Flight membranes and ears are very dark brown.
Hoary bat (lasiurus cinereus)
 Hoary
bats are the most widespread of any American bat and are
the only bat known to occur in the Hawaiian Islands.
Considered a solitary bat, they roost primarily among
foliage in trees, but have been found to roost under
planks, in caves, in cavities made by other animals, and
under leaves on the ground. The thick fur on Hoary bats
provides great insulation and they can tolerate a great
temperature range.
A large bat with a forearm length of 46 - 58 mm. Its
dorsal hairs are tipped white giving a frosted
appearance and the tail membrane is completely furred on
the dorsal side. It is among the largest of North
American bat species, measuring 130-140 mm in length and
possessing a wing-spread of almost 384 - 415 mm. The
bat's fur is a dark mahogany brown with silver frosting
over the back.
Silver-haired bat (lasionycteris noctivagans)
 Between
1980 and 1999 there have been 2 records of this species.
Both had been assisted on their travels by humans. One
was found in the cockpit of a US plane and another
amongst some imported wood.
The silver-haired bat is a medium sized bat. It has a
wingspan of 270 - 310 mm and a forearm length of 37 - 44
mm. It receives its name from its dark, silver-tipped
fur. The bat's fur is usually black in colour, however
some individuals may be dark brown with yellow-tipped
fur with relatively short round and naked ears.
European free-tailed bat (tadarida teniotis)
 In
2003 a male of the species decided to come and visit the
UK, or more precisely a Cornish churchyard where he was
discovered by a dogwalker. Luckily for him he was taken
in by Cornwall Bat Hospital in Penzance, as he was very
weak and underweight.
Free-tails are very distinctive large bats with a
tail that hangs freely behind them. Having very long
narrow wings they are very able fliers, and have been
recorded reaching speeds of 60kph with a tail-wind. The
ears are long and broad, protruding forward over the
eyes its wrinkled "bulldog" face. The European
Free-tailed bat inhabits warm Mediterranean regions.
They roost in cracks in cliffs or in buildings, even in
large cities.
Keep
you eyes, ears and bat detectors on the look out! |
Bechstein's
Copyright John Kaczanow