Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus). Photograph courtesy of US Forest Service, USDA.
This bat is migratory and moves northward in spring and southward in winter (Findley and Jones, 1964). Like the Red Bat, a relative and sometime associate, the Hoary Bat is usually a solitary animal but also may live in a mother and young family group (Tuttle, 2003). The Hoary Bat prefers wooded areas where it roosts in the open by hanging from a branch or twig (Alden et al., 1999). It is a strong flier, and when with other bats, it is easily recognized by its large size and swift, erratic flight (Davis and Schmidly, 1994). Another characteristic of this bat that makes it easily recognized is its propensity for audible chattering during flight (Schmidly, 1977). This bat usually emerges rather late in the evening, but during migration it frequently is observed in daylight hours (Davis and Schmidly, 1994).
Alden, P., B. Cassie, P. Friederici, J. D. W. Kahl, P. Leary, A. Leventer, and W. B. Zomlefer. 1999. National Audubon Society field guide to the southwestern states. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Davis, W. B., and D. J. Schmidly. 1994. The mammals of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Press, Austin.
Findley, J. S., and C. Jones. 1964. Seasonal distribution of the hoary bat. Journal of Mammalogy, 45:461-470.
Schmidly, D. J. 1977. The mammals of Trans-Pecos Texas including Big Bend National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Texas A&M University Press, College Station.
Tuttle, M. D. 2003. Texas bats. Bat Conservation International, Inc., Austin.
GeoIMAGERY Association. Photograph.
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web. Photograph, natural history, and references.
A. Ruth Huckaby, Graduate Student, BIOL 5301-Natural History of the Chihuahuan Desert, June, 2006.
Huckaby Update: 22 Jun 2006
Last Update: 1 Mar 2008