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Eastern Pipistrelle
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Scientific name: Pipistrellus subflavus.
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Weight: 5-8 grams.
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Wingspan: 21-26 centimeters.
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Distribution: Most of the eastern United States, southeastern Canada,
and southward through eastern Mexico to Central America.
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Ecology and
Behavior: Caves, mines, and rock crevices are used as hibernation
sites in winter and as night roosts in summer. These bats rarely occur in
buildings and apparently most roost in trees during the summer. They
inhabit more caves in eastern North America than any other species of bat,
usually hanging singly in warmer parts of the cave. An individual may
occupy a precise spot in a cave on consecutive winters; it usually has
several spots in which it hangs, shifting from one to the other during the
winter. This bat emerges from its daytime retreat early in the evening. It
is a weak flier and so small that it may be mistaken for a large moth.
Eastern pipistrelles usually appear to be solitary, although occasionally
in late summer four or five will appear about a single tree. The flight is
erratic and the foraging area is small.
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Food Habits: Often forages
over waterways and forest edges. It eats moths, beetles, mosquitoes,
midges, bugs, ants, and other insect.
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Reproduction: Mating occurs
in autumn, sperm are stored during winter, and fertilization takes place
in early spring. These bats usually bear twins in late spring or early
summer. The young are born hairless and pink with eyes closed, and they
are capable of making clicking sounds that may aid their mothers in
locating them. They grow rapidly and can fly within a month.
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Status of
populations: One of the most common bats over most of its range.
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