Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis)


Group	Bats
Code	AMACC05010
Order	Chiroptera
Family	Vespertilionidae
Author	(Muller, 1776)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	SM (definitions)
Scale	N (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	all
Eastern UP	all
Northern LP	all
Southern LP	all

Rule:

Forested or Mixed Forested/Nonforested Landscapes

Foraging, Roosting, and Wintering Habitat Requirements may be distributed across the NEIGHBORHOOD

Foraging Habitat 1st alternative:
      (Any Upland Deciduous (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Upland Hardwoods (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Northern Hardwoods (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Lowland Deciduous (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Lowland Hardwoods (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
   containing:
      Stand/Gap Openings

Foraging Habitat 2nd alternative:
      Grass
      or Upland Brush
      or Pond
      or River
      or Edge
      or Riparian

Roosting Habitat:
      (Any Upland Deciduous (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Upland Hardwoods (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Northern Hardwoods (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Lowland Deciduous (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Lowland Hardwoods (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))

Wintering Habitat:
      Living Cavity Trees

view decision rule term definitions

Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	no	no	no	YES	YES	-
Paper Birch	no	no	no	YES	YES	-
Oak	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Assorted Hardwoods	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Spruce/Fir	no	no	no	no	no	no
Hemlock	no	no	no	no	no	no
Jack Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	no	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Tamarack	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	no	no	no
Black Spruce	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Non-Forested	Grass, Upland Brush, Pond, River
Special Features	Living Cavity Trees, Edges, Riparian, Stand (Gap) Openings

view size class definitions

Literature:

Kurta, A. 1995. Mammals of the Great Lakes Region. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. 376 pp.
In the Great Lakes Basin, the red bat is abundant in rural areas and small towns but uncommon in heavily urbanized settings.

The red bat is a solitary species that most often roosts in leafy trees, such as elms and maples, although it may hang in conifers as well. Roost sites are 3-20 ft off the ground and hidden from view in all directions except below. The area beneath the roosting animal is clear of branches and allows the bat to take flight by simply dropping.

Moths are common prey for red bats, but they also sample the occasional beetle, fly, leafhopper, or flying ant. A red bat forages along forest-field edges, over streams with some vegetative cover, and at lights.

DeGraaf, R. M. and D. D. Rudis. 1986. New England wildlife: habitat, natural history, and distribution. GTR NE-108. Broomall, PA:USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 491 pp.
Habitat: Wooded areas where it roosts in trees 5 to 40 feet above ground. Solitary except females with young. Rarely found in buildings or caves except during migration. In Maryland, bats favored deciduous woodlands. Greatest numbers were found along fence rows and forest edges in roosting areas open only from below. Most active over water early in evening.

Special Habitat Requirements: Possibly trees for roosting.

Baker, R. H. 1983. Michigan Mammals. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, MI. 642 pp.
Distribution: The red bat enjoys one of the largest distributions of any Michigan bat and occurs from southern Canada southward (avoiding most non-forested plains and deserts) throughout the Americas, across the Equator and as far south as Argentina and Chile.

Habitat Preferences: The red bat requires at least some tree growth and can be expected in most Michigan locales; forested areas, cites where shade trees abound in parks, cemeteries, and along avenues, and farming areas with scattered woodlots.

Behavior: For would-be red bat watchers, sycamores, oaks, elms, and box elders seem to be preferred trees for roosting, where the bats hang at the tree crown edges. Red bats differ markedly from the myotis bats and the big brown bat in being able to find adequate vegetation for summer shelters. Sites used, according to Mumford, have been found as low as 2 ft to as high as 40 ft. At low levels, red bats may forsake trees and cling to bushes, vines, briar patches, weed stalks, and even the underside of a sunflower leaf. In such exposed situations, these durable bats not only withstand extreme temperature changes and direct sunlight but also must endure the buffeting by wind on their unstable perches. There are records of red bats being found in caves and tree cavities. Mumford suspects that a few individuals might over-winter in tree holes in northern areas.

Associates: The tree habit of the red bat naturally tends to keep this species fairly segregated from other kinds of bats. In summer, red bats join other kinds of bats in using common foraging and drinking areas. In mist nests set across the Thornapple River in a wooded sector in Eaton County, for example, Kurta caught the red bat in company with Keen's bat, little brown bat, Indiana bat, big brown bat, silver-haired bat, and hoary bat.