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Winter Update

Winter in Canada can mean something different for each of our 19 bat species. Some bats, such as the Fringed Bat, Long-legged Myotis and Eastern Red Bat, migrate to warmer climates. Others, such as the Keen’s Myotis, Eastern Small-footed Bat and Big Brown Bat, find a warm hibernaculum in which to overwinter.

For Canada’s most at-risk bats — the Little Brown Bat, Tri-colored Bat and Northern Long-eared Bat — winter can be the most dangerous time of year. These species hibernate in caves where conditions are perfect for the spread of the fungus that causes White-Nose Syndrome. The fungus dehydrates the bats, causing them to wake from their hibernation, which almost certainly means death for these little mammals.

Once the cold weather arrives, bats also risk being kicked out of a warm home. If homeowners still have bats at this time of year, the bats are likely overwintering. Evicting them now will not give them enough time to find an alternate hibernation site, and they will freeze. The same is true in the middle of winter; bats will sometimes rouse on warmer winter days to seek water or food. If they happen to leave through a one-way door, they’ll be stuck out in the cold.

Here are a few quick tips should you encounter a bat in your home during winter:

  1. If a family member or pet has come into contact with a bat, or you suspect they have, contact a medical professional.
  2. Wearing gloves, wait until the bat lands and then capture it by placing a container over it. Next, slide a piece of cardboard underneath the container to act as a cover. Ensure there is sufficient airflow before placing the container in a box and transporting the bat to your nearest wildlife rehabilitation center.
  3. If you are uncomfortable catching the bat yourself, contact a wildlife control company, but first ensure they do not intend to kill the bat or release it outside. Have them take it to a wildlife rehabilitation center or leave it with you to transport to a center.

How Neonicotinoid Pesticides May Be Harming Bats

There are over 1,300 bat species worldwide, 19 of which call Canada home. Our bats are incredibly important, not only to the environment but to the economy too. When the sun goes down, bats get to work eating the annoying pests in our backyards. They’re also extremely beneficial to the agricultural industry. In fact, bats save the agricultural industry in North America $3.7 billion every year.

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Read Scientific Report

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Background

Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night – eating thousands of mosquitos and other insects, which helps all of us by providing millions of dollars’ worth in pest control. Bats are in trouble. A disease known as White-nosed syndrome has wiped out millions of bats in North America. Habitat loss, pesticide use and evictions from roost sites produce an added threat to already stressed populations.

Millions of bats have died in Canada over the past 10 years. They may not recover without our help.
~James Pagé, CWF Species at Risk & Biodiversity Specialist

By The Numbers

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$30M
Bats save the Canadian agricultural industry millions each year.
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1
Many Canadian bats give birth to only one pup per year and thus have a very slow population growth.
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10M
WNS has killed upwards of ten million bats across eastern North America.

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

Learn more about bat biology

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Learn more about bat biology

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 engaging homeowners and humane wildlife control companies for better management and coexistence with bats by:

  • Incorporating the use of bat houses
    in wildlife control service protocol
  • Promoting cohabitation with bats
  • Promoting alternative roosting sites via retrofits
  • Offering and installing hundreds of bat houses as roost sites and carry out an ongoing study to find the ideal roost design
  • Increasing public awareness, community engagement, and citizen science

Featured Story:
Spring Means Returning Wildlife, Including Mother Bats

As spring sets in, bats are waking up from hibernation or migrating back from their southern winter homes.

Read Story

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How to Help

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Help the Bats is the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s response to ensure Canadian bat populations are protected.

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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.

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Bat Sighting!
Use iNaturalist.ca

Out camping? Hanging out on your neighbour’s patio? Log any bat sightings using iNaturalist.ca, our Citizen Science app. If you have an bat house, contribute to our study through our Help The Bats project within iNaturalist.ca.

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