Canyon Bat
This tiny bat has a stuttering flight and can often be found in arid canyons near waterways.
About This Species
The canyon bat is the smallest of Colorado's bats. It is easily recognized by its slow, erratic, butterfly-like flight. It has short, black ears, grayish brown pelage and a distinctive black mask making it one of the most attractive bats in North America. The size of this bat can only be appreciated at close range. In the air, it appears fragile. The slightest breeze blows it off course or causes it to stall.
Living with Bats
There are 18 species of bat that call Colorado home. These amazing mammals are not only fantastic insect control, but are also valuable pollinators. Learn more about how humans and bats can live in harmony in our guide.
Bat Conservation
Bats remain one of the most mysterious land mammals, especially in Colorado, where 18 species spend at least part of the year. For example, the little brown bats in our state seem to hibernate differently than those on the east coast, and we are constantly learning about their whereabouts, habitats and behaviors. Our current research suggests that bat populations in Colorado are doing quite well.
One little brown bat can eat up to 18,000 small insects (like mosquitoes) each night. Their economic impact is estimated to be billions of dollars, and much of the agricultural industry relies on their insect control.
Beyond their economic impact, bats flaunt some impressive adaptations. They are the only mammal that truly flies, which requires a very unique anatomy. Their upside-down lifestyle requires adaptations in their “feet” to consistently grip. If people hanged upside down for even an hour, we’d lose consciousness; bats have developed amazing blood pressure accommodations to fit the lifestyle.
We are currently involved in a monitoring partnership called the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NA Bat). The program utilizes acoustic surveys to collect information on bat populations without interfering with their behaviors. We also are using PIT tags, like the chips put in household pets, to monitor a number of maternity sites. While data collection will take years, we’ve already learned new information about Colorado’s bat population, the most heartening of which is that the population appears larger and more widespread than we’d thought. This is an excellent start to learning more about the species, but we’ve got lots of problem-solving and technological innovation left to do.
Our priorities also include learning more about bats so that we are prepared for the potential spread of White-nose Syndrome. Finding and monitoring bats is crucial to this effort, but also comes with its own challenges. Because bats are small, flying mammals, much of the equipment used to track other species is too heavy for them. And during the winter, Colorado bats are very elusive, choosing to hibernate in small groups often in locations that are inaccessible to people.
More Information:
Physical Characteristics
The canyon bat weighs less than four g, little more than a penny. Other measurements are: wingspan, 190-215 mm; total length, 68-75 mm; and forearm, 29-31 mm.
Range
This species is found throughout the desert southwest. It ranges as far north as Washington state and east to Oklahoma. In Colorado, it is found at lower elevations on the Western Slope and in the extreme southeast.
Habitat
This is a bat of the desert. It lives in arid canyons or dry shrub lands, near water. The canyon bat rarely roosts in human-made structures, nor does it seem to use mines or caves much except rarely as hibernacula. It does roost in both open and densely vegetated areas, using rock crevices in boulders, small cliff faces, and beneath rocky slabs. Although the canyon bat doesn't use the same roost day after day, it roosts in the same general area. Day and night roosts are different. This bat is non-migratory and sedentary. Hibernacula have been noted in several mines and a few caves but these bats likely use rock crevices as well.
Diet
Canyon bats eat small moths, beetles, mosquitoes and other flies. The canyon bat is thought to be the earliest bat to emerge and forage, sometimes before sundown, and again in early morning. The animals forage near canyon walls and among scattered boulders and shrubs. They remain active throughout the year. Foraging seems to be limited by winds above 10 mph.
Reproduction
One or two young are born in June each year. The canyon bat was confirmed to breed in Colorado when an infant bat was discovered on the floor of an abandoned building at Rio Blanco Reservoir, and a lactating female and a juvenile were observed at the Colorado National Monument. These bats may form small nursery colonies of 20-50 females and young or roost alone. The young are very small and exhibit the black mask at an early age. Males are segregated from females during much of the summer. Copulation occurs in the hibernaculum, followed by ovulation in spring.
Threats to Species
Predators are probably snakes, birds of prey and other bats.