Bat Species in Parks

More than 50 unique species of bats live in national parks! And they are indeed unique! Some eat insects, others pollinate plants or spread seeds of the fruit they eat. Many are small, weighing less than 10 grams. Others are huge, like the Pacific Flying Fox weighing in at over 2 pounds!

On this page, explore bat species in parks in three ways:

1. Meet the bats by clicking through a photo gallery of the 50+ species found in parks.
2. Select a park and see a species list of bats found in that park.
3. See thefull species list of bats found in parks.

Meet the Bats!

Meet the Bats!

Click through the photo gallery below to meet the 50+ unique species of bats found in national parks.

Bat Species by Park

Bat Species by Park

Using the NPSpecies widget below, find out which bat species are present in specific parks. Instructions:

1. Select a Park
2. Select the Species Category "Mammals"
3. Click "Get Checklist"
4. Looks for "Chiroptera" in the "Order" column

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Acadia National Park Adams National Historical Park African American Civil War Memorial African Burial Ground National Monument Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail Alagnak Wild River Alaska Public Lands Alcatraz Island Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site Amache National Historic Site American Memorial Park Amistad National Recreation Area Anacostia Park Andersonville National Historic Site Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve Antietam National Battlefield Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Appalachian National Scenic Trail Appomattox Court House National Historical Park Arches National Park Arkansas Post National Memorial Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial Assateague Island National Seashore Aztec Ruins National Monument Badlands National Park Baltimore-Washington Parkway Bandelier National Monument Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site Bering Land Bridge National Preserve Big Bend National Park Big Cypress National Preserve Big Hole National Battlefield Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area Big Thicket National Preserve Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument Biscayne National Park Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park Blackwell School National Historic Site Blue Ridge Parkway Bluestone National Scenic River Booker T Washington National Monument Boston African American National Historic Site Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area Boston National Historical Park Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Bryce Canyon National Park Buck Island Reef National Monument Buffalo National River Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail Cabrillo National Monument California National Historic Trail Camp Nelson National Monument Canaveral National Seashore Cane River Creole National Historical Park Canyon de Chelly National Monument Canyonlands National Park Cape Cod National Seashore Cape Hatteras National Seashore Cape Henry Memorial Part of Colonial National Historical Park Cape Krusenstern National Monument Cape Lookout National Seashore Capitol Hill Parks Capitol Reef National Park Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Capulin Volcano National Monument Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site Carlsbad Caverns National Park Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Castle Clinton National Monument Castle Mountains National Monument Catoctin Mountain Park Cedar Breaks National Monument Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park Chaco Culture National Historical Park Chamizal National Memorial Channel Islands National Park Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park Chesapeake Bay Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park Chickasaw National Recreation Area Chiricahua National Monument Christiansted National Historic Site City Of Rocks National Reserve Civil War Defenses of Washington Clara Barton National Historic Site Colonial National Historical Park Colorado National Monument Coltsville National Historical Park Congaree National Park Constitution Gardens Coronado National Memorial Cowpens National Battlefield Crater Lake National Park Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Cumberland Island National Seashore Curecanti National Recreation Area Cuyahoga Valley National Park César E. Chávez National Monument Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park De Soto National Memorial Death Valley National Park Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Denali National Park & Preserve Devils Postpile National Monument Devils Tower National Monument Dinosaur National Monument Dry Tortugas National Park Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site Effigy Mounds National Monument Eisenhower National Historic Site El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail El Malpais National Monument El Morro National Monument Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site Everglades National Park Federal Hall National Memorial Fire Island National Seashore First Ladies National Historic Site First State National Historical Park Flight 93 National Memorial Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Ford's Theatre National Historic Site Fort Bowie National Historic Site Fort Caroline National Memorial Fort Davis National Historic Site Fort Donelson National Battlefield Fort Dupont Park Fort Foote Park Fort Frederica National Monument Fort Laramie National Historic Site Fort Larned National Historic Site Fort Matanzas National Monument Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Fort Monroe National Monument Fort Necessity National Battlefield Fort Point National Historic Site Fort Pulaski National Monument Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Fort Scott National Historic Site Fort Smith National Historic Site Fort Stanwix National Monument Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park Fort Union National Monument Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Fort Washington Park Fossil Butte National Monument Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park Freedom Riders National Monument Friendship Hill National Historic Site Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve Gateway Arch National Park Gateway National Recreation Area Gauley River National Recreation Area General Grant National Memorial George Rogers Clark National Historical Park George Washington Birthplace National Monument George Washington Carver National Monument George Washington Memorial Parkway Gettysburg National Military Park Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve Glacier National Park Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Glen Echo Park Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site Golden Gate National Recreation Area Golden Spike National Historical Park Governors Island National Monument Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument Grand Portage National Monument Grand Teton National Park Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site Great Basin National Park Great Egg Harbor River Great Falls Park Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve Great Smoky Mountains National Park Green Springs Greenbelt Park Guadalupe Mountains National Park Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Gulf Islands National Seashore Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Haleakalā National Park Hamilton Grange National Memorial Hampton National Historic Site Harmony Hall Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Harriet Tubman National Historical Park Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Harry S Truman National Historic Site Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site Homestead National Historical Park Honouliuli National Historic Site Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Horseshoe Bend National Military Park Hot Springs National Park Hovenweep National Monument Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail Ice Age National Scenic Trail Independence National Historical Park Indiana Dunes National Park Isle Royale National Park Iñupiat Heritage Center James A Garfield National Historic Site Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve Jewel Cave National Monument Jimmy Carter National Historical Park John Day Fossil Beds National Monument John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site John Muir National Historic Site Johnstown Flood National Memorial Joshua Tree National Park Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Kalaupapa National Historical Park Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Katmai National Park & Preserve Kenai Fjords National Park Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Keweenaw National Historical Park Kings Mountain National Military Park Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site Kobuk Valley National Park Korean War Veterans Memorial LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Lake Mead National Recreation Area Lake Meredith National Recreation Area Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Lassen Volcanic National Park Lava Beds National Monument Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Lincoln Home National Historic Site Lincoln Memorial Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Little River Canyon National Preserve Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Lowell National Historical Park Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park Maggie L Walker National Historic Site Maine Acadian Culture Mammoth Cave National Park Manassas National Battlefield Park Manhattan Project National Historical Park Manzanar National Historic Site Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument Mesa Verde National Park Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument Minidoka National Historic Site Minute Man National Historical Park Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Mississippi National River & Recreation Area Missouri National Recreational River Mojave National Preserve Monocacy National Battlefield Montezuma Castle National Monument Moores Creek National Battlefield Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail Morristown National Historical Park Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rushmore National Memorial Muir Woods National Monument Natchez National Historical Park Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail Natchez Trace Parkway National Capital Parks-East National Mall and Memorial Parks National Park of American Samoa National Parks of New York Harbor Natural Bridges National Monument Navajo National Monument New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park New England National Scenic Trail New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park New Philadelphia National Historic Site New River Gorge National Park & Preserve Nez Perce National Historical Park Nicodemus National Historic Site Ninety Six National Historic Site Niobrara National Scenic River Noatak National Preserve North Cascades National Park North Country National Scenic Trail Obed Wild & Scenic River Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Oklahoma City National Memorial Old Spanish National Historic Trail Olympic National Park Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve Oregon National Historic Trail Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm Ozark National Scenic Riverways Padre Island National Seashore Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Pea Ridge National Military Park Pearl Harbor National Memorial Pecos National Historical Park Pennsylvania Avenue Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial Petersburg National Battlefield Petrified Forest National Park Petroglyph National Monument Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Pinnacles National Park Pipe Spring National Monument Pipestone National Monument Piscataway Park Point Reyes National Seashore Pony Express National Historic Trail Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Poverty Point National Monument President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site Presidio of San Francisco Prince William Forest Park Pullman National Historical Park Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site Rainbow Bridge National Monument Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Redwood National and State Parks Richmond National Battlefield Park Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River River Raisin National Battlefield Park Rock Creek Park Rocky Mountain National Park Roger Williams National Memorial Roosevelt Campobello International Park Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park Russell Cave National Monument Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Saguaro National Park Saint Croix Island International Historic Site Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park Salem Maritime National Historical Park Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve San Antonio Missions National Historical Park San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park San Juan Island National Historical Park San Juan National Historic Site Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Santa Fe National Historic Trail Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Saratoga National Historical Park Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site Scotts Bluff National Monument Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Shenandoah National Park Shiloh National Military Park Sitka National Historical Park Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument Springfield Armory National Historic Site Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Statue Of Liberty National Monument Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park Steamtown National Historic Site Stones River National Battlefield Stonewall National Monument Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial The White House and President's Park Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site Theodore Roosevelt Island Theodore Roosevelt National Park Thomas Cole National Historic Site Thomas Edison National Historical Park Thomas Jefferson Memorial Thomas Stone National Historic Site Timpanogos Cave National Monument Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve Tonto National Monument Touro Synagogue National Historic Site Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail Tule Lake National Monument Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Tumacácori National Historical Park Tupelo National Battlefield Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site Tuzigoot National Monument Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River Valles Caldera National Preserve Valley Forge National Historical Park Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site Vicksburg National Military Park Vietnam Veterans Memorial Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument Virgin Islands National Park Voyageurs National Park Waco Mammoth National Monument Walnut Canyon National Monument War In The Pacific National Historical Park Washington Monument Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Weir Farm National Historical Park Whiskeytown National Recreation Area White Sands National Park Whitman Mission National Historic Site William Howard Taft National Historic Site Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Wind Cave National Park Wing Luke Museum Affiliated Area Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts Women's Rights National Historical Park World War I Memorial World War II Memorial Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve Wright Brothers National Memorial Wupatki National Monument Yellowstone National Park Yorktown Battlefield Part of Colonial National Historical Park Yosemite National Park Yucca House National Monument Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve Zion National Park

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Full Species List of Bats Found in Parks

Bat Species in Parks

Take a look at the tables below to see the run down of bat species in parks, which species have been extirpated (locally extinct), and which species may occur in parks, but have yet to be recorded.

	Scientific Name	Common Name	# Parks
1	Eptesicus fuscus	Big brown bat	178
2	Lasiurus cinereus	Hoary bat	127
3	Myotis lucifugus	Little brown myotis	123
4	Lasionycteris noctivagans	Silver-haired bat	108
5	Lasiurus borealis	Eastern red bat	90
6	Tadarida brasiliensis	Mexican free-tailed bat	75
7	Myotis californicus	California myotis	74
8	Corynorhinus townsendii	Townsend's big-eared bat	73
9	Myotis volans	Long-legged myotis	69
10	Perimyotis subflavus	Tricolored bat	69
11	Myotis ciliolabrum	Western small-footed myotis	67
12	Myotis yumanensis	Yuma myotis	66
13	Myotis thysanodes	Fringed myotis	65
14	Antrozous pallidus	Pallid bat	61
15	Myotis evotis	Western long-eared myotis	56
16	Myotis septentrionalis	Northern long-eared myotis	56
17	Parastrellus hesperus	Canyon bat	53
18	Nycticeius humeralis	Evening bat	37
19	Nyctinomops macrotis	Big free-tailed bat	31
20	Euderma maculatum	Spotted bat	30
21	Lasiurus blossevillii	Western red bat	21
22	Myotis leibii	Eastern small-footed myotis	16
23	Eumops perotis	Western mastiff bat	14
24	Idionycteris phyllotis	Allen's big-eared bat	13
25	Myotis grisescens	Gray myotis	13
26	Myotis velifer	Cave myotis	12
27	Lasiurus seminolus	Seminole bat	11
28	Myotis sodalis	Indiana myotis	11
29	Corynorhinus rafinesquii	Rafinesque's big-eared bat	10
30	Myotis auriculus	Southwestern myotis	9
31	Nyctinomops femorosaccus	Pocketed free-tailed bat	8
32	Choeronycteris mexicana	Mexican long-tongued bat	6
33	Lasiurus cinereus semotus	Hawaiian hoary bat	6
34	Lasiurus intermedius	Northern yellow bat	6
35	Myotis austroriparius	Southeastern myotis	6
36	Lasiurus xanthinus	Western yellow bat	5
37	Macrotus californicus	California leaf-nosed bat	5
38	Leptonycteris yerbabuenae	Lesser long-nosed bat	4
39	Mormoops megalophylla	Ghost-face bat	2
40	Artibeus jamaicensis	Jamaican fruit-eating bat	1
41	Brachyphylla cavernarum	Antillean fruit-eating bat	1
42	Corynorhinus townsendii ingens	Ozark big-eared bat	1
43	Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus	Virginia big-eared bat	1
44	Diphylla ecaudata	Hairy-legged vampire bat	1
45	Eumops floridanus	Florida bonneted bat	1
46	Eumops underwoodi	Underwood's mastiff bat	1
47	Molossus molossus	Pallas's mastiff bat	1
48	Myotis occultus	Arizona myotis	1
49	Noctilio leporinus	Greater bulldog bat	1
50	Stenoderma rufum	Red fig-eating bat	1
51	Leptonycteris nivalis	Mexican long-nosed bat	1
52	Pteropus samoensis	Samoan flying fox	1
53	Pteropus tonganus	Pacific flying fox	1

These species of bats used to live in War in the Pacific National Historic Park in Guam, but they have been extirpated (locally extinct):

Pteropus tokudae	Guam flying fox
Pteropus mariannus	Marianus flying fox
Emballonura semicaudata	Polynesian sheath-tailed bat

According to range maps of some bats, it's possible for these species to be in national parks, but they haven't been recorded:

Myotis keenii	Keen's myotis
Mormoops blainvillii	Antillean ghost-faced bat
Pteronotus parnellii	Common mustached bat
Pteronotus quadridens	Sooty mustached bat
Erophylla bombifrons	Brown flower bat
Natalus mexicanus	Mexican greater funnel-eared bat
Lasiurus ega	Southern yellow bat
Lasiurus minor	Little red bat

For a detailed report on species of bats in national parks, read A macroecological perspective on strategic bat conservation in the US National Park Service by lead author and NPS Ecologist Tom Rodhouse.