There are eighteen indigenous species of bats in Canada, which are found in many parts of the country. They are insectivores, and are prey to falcons, hawks, owls, snakes, cats, and raccoons.Health CanadaMinistry of Natural Resources: Bat Ecology

Species

The little brown bat is the most common and widely distributed of Canada's bat species.The nocturnal bat roosts in dark places during the day, and preys on insects at night.Bernhardt: Little Brown Bat Their echolocation calls are emitted 20 times per second, increasing to 200 times per second while chasing prey.Smithsonian: Little Brown Bat

The habitat range of the big brown bat is in the southern parts of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, and throughout Alberta.Bernhardt: Big Brown Bat Males are solitary, whereas females "gather in maternity colonies in the spring and summer", consisting of up to 75 adults with their offspring.Smithsonian: Big Brown Bat They forage at night on dry, warm evenings, catching and eating flying insects in the air. They hibernate in the winter, migrating short distances to find an appropriate roost, such as mines and caves.

The largest bat in Canada is the hoary bat,Baily: 1997. Page 3 which inhabits all of Alberta, southern British Columbia, the southern half of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, most of Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, and the southern parts of Quebec.Bernhardt: Hoary Bat The solitary bat has a coat of grey fur with white tipped hairs, giving it a "frosted" or "hoary" appearance.Smithsonian: Hoary Bat They roost in trees, and prey on large insects such as wasps, dragonflies, beetles, and moths.

Northern long-eared myotis bats are found throughout Eastern Canada, southern Manitoba, northern Alberta, and parts of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon.Smithsonian: Northern Long-eared Myotis It hibernates in caves and mines, and perches to eat insect prey.

Sometimes observed in British Columbia, the solitary red bat is generally found throughout the southern parts of Canada from Alberta to Nova Scotia.Bernhardt: Red Bat The slow, graceful flying bat migrates south in groups in the autumn and winter.Smithsonian: Red Bat It preys on flying insects, and roosts in trees and shrubs.

The reclusive silver-haired batMinistry of Natural Resources resembles the hoary bat,Smithsonian: Silver-haired Bat but has a "deep chocolate brown color with a white frosting on its back and abdomen".Bernhardt: Silver-Haired Bat Its habitat is primarily forested areas in the southern parts of Canada, where it is common and roosts alone in logs or under bark, but it is also found in grassland. Groups congregate for southward migration in the autumn and winter, though some individuals may undergo torpor and hibernate instead. Its preferred food is small, flying insects, especially moths, for which they forage after sunset in forest canopies or over streams and stagnant waters.

Eastern Canada The tricoloured bat is the smallest of Canada's indigenous bat species.Bernhardt: Eastern pipistrelle Formerly known as the eastern pipistrelle, genetic analysis has shown it is not a pipistrelle but most closely related to the canyon bat. It is known as the tricoloured bat because it has fur in three colours: a base of grey, body of yellow, and tips in brown. It has a habitat range along southern Ontario, the southernmost parts of Quebec, most of Nova Scotia, and part of New Brunswick. In late summer and early autumn, they migrate to caves where they hibernate.Smithsonian: Eastern Pipistrelle It is a slow flyer, preferring slow-moving rivers and adjacent forests and woodlands.

The eastern small-footed bat is one of the smallest North American bats,Smithsonian: Eastern Small-footed Myotis and one of the least common in Canada. Its range is restricted to deciduous and coniferous forests in southern and central Ontario and the southernmost part of Quebec. A cold-tolerant bat, it enters hibernation later than other species, usually late November or early December. It is identifiable by its slow, erratic flight.

Western Canada

The California myotis habitat ranges into much of southern British Columbia and along most of its coast.Smithsonian: California Myotis It is a nocturnal predator of insects, which it catches and eats in flight "over lakes, rivers, meadows, and forest clearings",Bernhardt: California Bat or any other open area. They are sometimes used to control insect populations. They hibernate in the winter, especially at higher elevations.

The fringed myotis is a vesper bat with a narrow distribution in Canada, primarily in the Okanagan. Its habitat is in vegetated areas. It is a fast-growing species, and the young reach adult size within three weeks.Smithsonian: California Myotis About 70% of its diet consists of beetles.

Keen's myotis is found along the British Columbia coast and toward the interior.Smithsonian: Keen's Myotis They hibernate in winter, sometimes forming a hibernaculum with other bat species in the region. They prefer forested areas, feeding on insects.Bernhardt: Keen's Bat The species is particularly active after sunset and before dawn.

The long-eared myotis is a vesper bat whose fur colour ranges from dark brown to pale yellow.Smithsonian: Long-eared Myotis It roosts in "rock outcroppings and dead trees" in the southern parts of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.Bernhardt: Long-Eared Bat They hunt over small bodies of water or dense vegetation, preferring moths and beetles.

Mountainous and rugged terrains are preferred by the long-legged myotis, which has habitats throughout coastal and southern British Columbia and near the Rocky Mountains in the southern half of Alberta.Bernhardt: Long-Legged Bat There, they inhabit coniferous forests and woodlands near streams, and eat soft-bodied insects, preferring moths.Smithsonian: Long-legged Myotis

The western big-eared bat, also known as Townsend's big-eared bat, has prominent wing-like ears.Smithsonian: Townsend's Big-eared Bat It is a social creature, gathering in large clusters in its range in parts southern British Columbia,Bernhardt: Townsend's Big-Eared Bat and females will congregate in maternity groups in the spring. It preys on moths in "open pasture and forest canopy". In the winter, it will hibernate in nearby caves, and on cool or cold days the rest of the year individuals will enter torpor.

The yellow-brown backed western small-footed bat has a range of southern British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.Smithsonian: Townsend's Big-eared Bat It roosts alone or in small groups, preferring damp caves, mines, or rock crevices. It is an insectivore, eating moths, beetles, and ants.

The Yuma myotis, similar in appearance to the little brown bat, is found primarily in the coastal regions of southern British Columbia.Bernhardt: Yuma Bat It feeds on soft insects as it cruises low over small bodies of water, and prefers forest clearings.Smithsonian: Yuma Myotis

Species at risk

The pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus) is characterized by slate grey wings, cream or pale yellow-brown fur on its body, tan-coloured ears, and eyes larger than those of most bats.Environment Canada: Pallid Bat Its range in Canada is restricted to the Okanagan Valley in southern British Columbia, as its preferred habitat is open, arid and semi-arid terrain with sparse vegetation or cultivated fields or dry grasslands, and roost in the crevices of cliffs.Hinterland Who's Who It is a threatened species in Canada, where its population is "unknown but it likely is quite small", and is on the list of wildlife species at risk maintained by Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) via Environment Canada. The primary risk to the pallid bat in Canada is "the harsh climate and naturally low availability of adequate habitat" and continued habitat loss from development, as well as pesticide use in fruit-growing areas within their habitats; they eat insects including beetles, grasshoppers, and moths.Smithsonian: Pallid Bat It is protected by the Species at Risk Act (SARA) on federally-owned lands, including Vaseux-Bighorn National Wildlife Area and nearby First Nations lands, and is also protected by the British Columbia Wildlife Act.

The spotted bat (Euderma maculatum) is a species of special concern in Canada. The large-eared black bats were first discovered in Canada in 1979, with a range restricted to southern British Columbia.Environment Canada: Spotted Bat These solitary mammals prefer habitats along waterways in regions with hot summers and mild winters, preferring to roost on cliffs. There are fewer than 100 spotted bats in Canada, an insectivore threatened by the use of pesticides which is also an endangered species in the United States, and it is also protected by the Species at Risk Act and the British Columbia Wildlife Act.

The little brown bat, northern long-eared myotis, and the tricoloured bat are currently being considered for protection under the Species at Risk Act.

Distribution

SpeciesStatusDistributionCommon nameNomenclatureCanadaGlobalBCABSKMBONQCNBPEINSNLYKNTNUBig brown bat Eptesicus fuscus California myotis Myotis californicus Eastern small-footed myotis Myotis leibii Fringed myotis Myotis thysanodes Hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus Little brown bat (myotis) Myotis lucifugus Long-eared myotis Myotis evotis Long-legged myotis Myotis volans Northern myotis Myotis septentrionalis Pallid bat Antrozous pallidus Eastern red bat Lasiurus borealis Silver-haired bat Lasionycteris noctivagans Spotted bat Euderma maculatum Tricoloured bat Perimyotis subflavus Townsend's big-eared bat Corynorhinus townsendii Western small-footed myotis Myotis ciliolabrum Yuma myotis Myotis yumanensis Total species 17 15 9 8 6 8 8 7 1 6 2 2 6 0

There has also been one recorded sighting of an evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) on Pelee Island, Ontario, from 1911, which is thought to be a stray occurrence.Kurta: 1995. Page 82. There has been at least one recorded sighting of a big free-tailed bat (Nyctinomops macrotis) in British Columbia. There has also been one sighting of a hoary bat on the island of Newfoundland.

Disease