Bats (Chiroptera)
With their forelimbs adapted as wings, Bats are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out digits covered with a thin membrane or patagium. There are 16 species of bats found in Alabama, however, only 12 of those are found in the part of the state home to Columbians and Harmon Park. While many bats have been observed in the Park, they have not been seen closely enough for positive species identification.
Eastern Red Bat
(Lasiurus borealis)
These bats weigh 0.3-0.5 ounces with wingspans of 11-13 inches. Fur covers most of the body, including most of the wings and tail. Individuals may exhibit considerable variation in pelage color, ranging from bright orange-red, to orange-brown, to light brown. Many of the hairs are tipped with white. They eat a wide variety of night-flying insects including moths, beetles, mosquitoes, flies, and cicadas.
Big Brown Bat
(Eptesicus fuscus)
These common bats average 4 - 5 inches in length and weigh 0.5 -1.2 ounces at adulthood with wingspans of 12-16 inches. Their fur is glossy brown on the back and lighter on the belly. They have small rounded ears which are hairless, leathery, and black like their wings. Their heads are rather large with a broad nose and fleshy lips. They forage mostly on beetles but also consume flies, moths, wasps, and flying ants in flight.
Seminole Bat
(Lasiurus seminolus)
The Seminole bat weighs about 0.3 to 0.5 ounce and has a wingspan of 11 to 13 inches. The deep mahogany color and frosted tipping of their fur is distinctive from the reddish-orange color of eastern red bats. Distinctive white patches on the wrists and shoulders distinguish Seminole bats from Florida yellow bats. They prefer to roost in clumps of spanish moss. Their diet consists of flies, beetles, dragonflies, and hymenopterans. Mostly forages at treetop levels in forests, although they also fly over open water, forest clearings, and along forest edges.
Tri Colored Bat
(Perimyotis subflavus)
These bats varies in length from 2.8 - 3.74 inches and weighs between 0.2-0.3 ounces. The wingspan is eight to ten inches. The dorsal fur is tricolored when parted – each hair having a dark base, a lighter middle, and a yellow-brown tip. Forearms are pinkish to flesh-colored. The tragus (external ear covering) is generally oval or rounded, distinguishing it from the sharp tragus of Myotis bats. They eat a wide variety of insects including moths, beetles, mosquitoes, night midges, flies, and ants.
Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii)
These bats average 3.4 to 4.2 in. and weigh 0.28 to 0.35 oz. with wingspans of 12-16 inches. Their primary distinguishing feature are the large ears (measuring 1 to 1.5 inches). They are dorsally colored brownish gray with dark brown basal hairs and pale reddish-brown distal hairs. Ventrally they are whitish. They eat moths and other night-flying insects.
Gray Myotis Bat
(Myotis grisescens)
These bats are endangered and of the highest conservation concern. They are 3.5-4.5 inches in length and 0.25-0.50 ounces in weight. They're distinguishable from the southeastern myotis, little brown myotis, northern long-eared myotis, and Indiana myotis by uniformly colored fur, which is gray or brown from base to tip. They are also different in that their wing membrane attaches at the ankle instead of the base of the toe and by the notch on their toenails. They eat various night-flying insects, including moths, beetles, mayflies, and midges.
Little Brown Myotis Bat
(Myotis lucifugus)
Partly due to the devastating fungal affliction 'White-nose Syndrome,' these bats are becoming increasingly rare and there are no known breeding colonies remaining in Alabama. They are 3.4 to 4.2 inches long and weigh 0.2 to 0.3 ounces. They are sleek and glossy and often feature a metallic sheen to their dark brown dorsal fur. Hairs on their feet that extend beyond the toes is a useful distinguishing characteristic. They eat a variety of insects are consumed, including flies, moths, and small beetles.
Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis)
These bats are endangered and their distribution is not known, however they have been observed in various areas of Alabama and the piedmont area where The Nature Park is located is considered a likely place for them. They are 1.4-1.5 inches in length and 0.2-0.4 ounces in weight with a 9-10 inch wingspan. They're distinguishable from other Myotis by having longer ears (about 0.2 inch) that extend beyond the nose and a longer, more sharply pointed, tragus. They are opportunistic feeders, consuming a variety of insects.
Silver Haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)
These bats have dark, blackish-brown fur which is tinged or “frosted” with silver, hence their descriptive common name “silver-haired.” Their wingspan is 27-33 cm (11-13 inches) and they weigh 8-15 grams (0.3-0.5 ounce). Their ears are short and rounded.. They eat a wide variety of night flying insects including moths, beetles, mosquitoes, night midges, flies, and termites.
Evening Bat
(Nycticeius humeralis)
These common bats are about 3-4 inches in length and 0.25-0.52 ounces in weight with 10-11.5 inch wingspans. Evening bats have a rounded tragus, unlike Myotis bats where the tragus is pointed. This species resembles a small big brown bat. They emerge soon after dusk and forage on a large variety of small nocturnal insects including flying ants, spittle bugs, June beetles, Japanese beetles and moths.
Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
The Hoary bat is the largest bat species in Alabama and is very colorful and heavily furred. They weigh about an ounce and have wingspans of 13-16 inches. Their fur is a mixed brownish-gray, tinged with white, giving it the frosted or “hoary” appearance. Much of the face and neck fur is mustard-yellow. The ears are short, rounded and lined in black. They eat a variety of insects such as moths, beetles and night midges. Very rarely, they might even consume other small bats!