Spring Update
You might not know this, but bats are more closely related to humans than they are to rodents. And like humans, bats like a safe, suitable place in which to roost, especially in the spring when they are getting ready to have pups. As natural habitats disappear, finding adequate space to roost is becoming a challenge for Canada’s endangered bat species. There are things we can all do to support declining bat populations by ensuring they can find and enjoy a safe haven, even in urban environments.
Keep reading to download your bat house plans!
Did you know bats are the slowest reproducing mammal on earth? It’s true! The females usually have just one pup a year, making them very vulnerable to declines in their populations.
Read "Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Bats" Scientific Report
Read Report
You Can Help! Build Your Own Bat House
Provide a roosting site for a female bat and her pup! The Canadian Wildlife Federation is here to guide you through every step. Begin by downloading these free DIY instructions.
Spring and summer are important seasons, especially for female bats. Building a bat house will provide a roosting site for a female bat to have her pup. The majority of Canadian bats only have one pup per year, so providing them safe haven is vital to survival and population growth. Bats also make great neighbours; they help control insects through spring and summer.
Millions of bats have died in Canada over the past 10 years. They may not recover without our help. ~Mike Anissimoff, CWF Bat Conservation Specialist
The Challenge
Bats are amazing animals that are vital to the health of our environment and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night – eating thousands of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees. However, many of our bats are under threat of habitat loss, pesticides, white-nose syndrome and more.
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By The Numbers
Bats save the Canadian agricultural industry millions each year.
Many Canadian bats give birth to only one pup per year and thus have a very slow population growth.
WNS has killed upwards of ten million bats across eastern North America.
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Facts: Little Brown Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis lucifugus
DESCRIPTION: Like its name, this species of bat is only six to 10 centimetres in length and has a wingspan of 22 to 27 cm. It is brown in colour.
HABITAT: It hibernates in dead trees, cliffs, mines, caves and buildings.
RANGE: Across Canada
Facts: Big Brown Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Eptesicus fuscus
DESCRIPTION: This species is 11 to 13 centimetres in length and has a wingspan of 32 to 40 cm. Its colour varies from tan to dark brown.
HABITAT: It hibernates in caves, mines and buildings.
RANGE: Most of southern Canada
Facts: California Myotis
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis californicus
DESCRIPTION: This species is seven to 10 centimetres in length with a wingspan of 22 to 26 cm. Its colour varies from reddish-brown to dark brown.
HABITAT: It hibernates in buildings, mines, caves and dead trees.
RANGE: British Columbia
Facts: Tricoloured Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Perimyotis subflavus
DESCRIPTION: This species is seven to nine centimetres in length with a wingspan of 21 to 26 cm. The colouration of each hair is black at the root, then yellow, with brown tips.
HABITAT: It roosts in buildings and large trees.
RANGE: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
Facts: Eastern Small-footed Myotis
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis leibii
DESCRIPTION: This species is seven to nine centimetres in length with a wingspan of 21 to 25 cm. It is golden-brown in colour.
HABITAT: It hibernates in hilly, mountainous areas, deciduous or evergreen forests and open farmlands.
RANGE: Southeastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec
Facts: Fringed Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis thysanodes
DESCRIPTION: This species is eight to 10 cm in length with a wingspan of 27 to 32 cm. Named after its stiff or ‘fringed’ hair, it is pale brown, with dark brown ears.
HABITAT: When it is not migrating, it typically roost in mines, cliffs, forested areas and buildings.
RANGE: British Columbia
Facts: Hoary Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lasiurus cinereus
DESCRIPTION: It is the largest bat known to Canada with a length of 13 to 15 centimetres and a wingspan of 36 to 41 cm. Its colouration is black with brown-grey fur and frosted white tips on its back and tail, and a yellow head and throat.
HABITAT: When not migrating, it can be found in coniferous forests.
RANGE: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Northwest Territories.
Facts: Keen's Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis keenii
DESCRIPTION: Its wingspan is 21 to 26 centimetres wide and it is seven to nine cm in length. It has silky brown fur.
HABITAT: It hibernates in dead trees, caves, mines and buildings.
RANGE: British Columbia
Facts: Western Long-eared Myotis
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis evotis
DESCRIPTION: It is eight to 10 centimetres in length and has a wingspan of 25 to 30 cm. It is pale brown in colour with a black face and ears.
HABITAT: It can be found in mines, buildings, cliffs, dead trees and stumps, although may migrate short distances in preparation for the winter months.
RANGE: British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan
Facts: Long-legged Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis volans
DESCRIPTION: It is eight to 10 centimetres in length and a wingspan of 22 to 30 cm. It is typically dark brown in colour.
HABITAT: When it isn’t migrating short distances, it can be found in mines, caves, and dead trees.
RANGE: British Columbia and Alberta
Facts: Northern Long-eared Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis septentrionalis
DESCRIPTION:: It is seven to 10 centimetres in length with a wingspan of 22 to 27 cm. It has large black ears and a yellow-brown body.
HABITAT: It roosts in forests and buildings.
RANGE: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick
Facts: Pallid Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Antrozous pallidus
DESCRIPTION:: It is six to nine centimetres in length and a wingspan of 35 to 41 cm. It has a pale stomach, brown back, grey wings and a snout-like nose.
HABITAT: When not hibernation, it can be found in cliffs, buildings, and bottoms of valleys at low elevations.
RANGE: Okanagan Valley of British Columbia
Facts: Eastern Red Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lasiurus borealis
DESCRIPTION:: It is nine to 12 centimetres in length and has a wingspan of 28 to 33 cm. It is multi-coloured with yellow-red-orange and yellow-greyish.
HABITAT: When it isn’t migrating to warmer regions in the winter, it can be found in deciduous forests.
RANGE: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
Facts: Silver-haired Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lasionycteris noctivagans
DESCRIPTION:: Its length ranges from nine to 11 centimetres and has a wingspan 27 to 31 cm. It is black/dark brown in colour.
HABITAT: It is a migratory species and roosts in mines, caves and dead trees.
RANGE: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
Facts: Spotted Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Euderma maculatum
DESCRIPTION:: It has a length of 11 to 12 centimetres and a wingspan of 34 to 38 cm. It can easily be identified by its three white spots on its black back and has the largest ears of any bat species in North America.
HABITAT: It occasionally migrates, roosting in cliffs and hillsides.
RANGE: British Columbia
Facts: Townsends Big-eared Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Corynorhinus townsendii
DESCRIPTION:: This species has a length of 10 centimetres and a wingspan of 29 to 34 cm. It is pale brown/black-grey in colour with two visible glandular swellings on its nose.
HABITAT: It can be found hibernating in mines, caves, buildings and cliffs.
RANGE: British Columbia
Facts: Western Small-footed Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis ciliolabrum
DESCRIPTION:: It is eight to 10 centimetres in length and has a wingspan of 21 to 25 cm. It is yellow-brown in colour with a black face.
HABITAT: It migrates through the winter season. It can be found in cliffs and mines.
RANGE: British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan
Facts: Yuma Myotis
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Myotis yumanensis
DESCRIPTION:: Its length is eight to 10 cm and has a wingspan of 22 to 26 cm. It varies in colour from dark brown to tan/grey.
HABITAT: It can be found hibernating in buildings, dead trees and mines.
RANGE: British Columbia
Facts: Brazilian, or Mexican, Free-tailed Bat
COSEWIC STATUS: NA — SC — TH — EN — XT —
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tadarida brasiliensis
DESCRIPTION:: This species is eight to 10 centimetres in length and have a wingspan of 28 cm. It is brown in colour with large square ears, a wrinkled upper lip and a prominent tail.
HABITAT: It can be found in woodlands, caves, bridges and buildings.
RANGE: Salt Spring Island of British Columbia
DO YOU LIVE IN OTTAWA AND AREA?
We need 50 homeowners in the region to help conserve bats for the summer!
The Canadian Wildlife
Federation’s Role in
Bat Conservation
As a means to promote the protection and recovery of the Little Brown Bat, CWF is collaborating with humane wildlife control companies to develop best management practices for their professional management of bats by:
→ Incorporating the use of bat houses in service protocol → Promoting cohabitation with bats → Promoting alternative roosting sites via retrofits → Increasing public awareness, community engagement, and citizen science
Featured Story
Stressed Out Mamas
Roosting bats need all the help they can get during the warmer months. In early spring, female bats seek out suitable maternity roosts in which to raise their young who are typically born between June and July. These roosts are greatly important to the survival and recovery of bats.
HOW TO HELP
Pledge to Make
Your Backyard a
Haven for Bats
Support Bat
Conservation In
Canada
Adopt a Bat!
Build Your
Own Bat
House
Bat Sighting!
Use iNaturalist.ca
Get Social for Bats!
