Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)


Group	Bats
Code	AMACC05030
Order	Chiroptera
Family	Vespertilionidae
Author	(Beauvois, 1796)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
USESA	(PS) (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 and Roosting Habitat Requirements may be distributed across the NEIGHBORHOOD

Foraging Habitat 1st alternative:
      (Any Forested Upland Except Conifer Plantations (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Forested Lowland (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 Forested Upland Except Conifer Plantations (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Forested Lowland (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))

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	YES	YES	YES
Hemlock	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Jack Pine	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Red Pine	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
White Pine	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
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	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Pine	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
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	YES	YES	YES
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Black Spruce	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	YES	YES	YES
Non-Forested	Grass, Upland Brush, Pond, River
Special Features	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.
It lives throughout the Great Lakes basin, where it is most common in rural areas and small towns but rare in cities. Like the red bat, the hoary bat is a solitary species that roosts in a variety of trees, including maple, elm, cherry, and spruce. Probably any tree that provides dense shade, seclusion, and a clear space below the actual roost is useable.

It forages over large canopied streams, along forest edges, and at lights; high speed and low maneuverability limit flight to fairly open and uncluttered situations.

The hoary bats feed on large insects - large moths and beetles are typical prey.

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 10 to 15 feet above ground in trees. Prefers coniferous forests but also uses deciduous woods and woodland edges, hedgerows and trees in city parks.

Special Habitat Requirements: Forest edge.

Baker, R. H. 1983. Michigan Mammals. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, MI. 642 pp.
Distribution: The hoary bat ranges from near tree line at the edge of the Canadian arctic southward through Central America into South America as far southward as Argentina and Chile. This species has the most expansive distribution of all American bats, using all environments except for treeless plains and deserts.

Habitat Preferences: The hoary bat, like the red bat, occurs in areas where at least some tree growth is present. This includes heavy forest, open wooded glades, and shade trees along urban streets or in city parks. There is some undocumented evidences that hoary bats prefer coniferous trees (pine, fir, spruce) to the big-leaved deciduous trees, especially in northern Michigan.

Behavior: The hoary bat, like its smaller relative, the red bat, spends summers alone, chiefly using trees as daytime retreats. Roosts are generally between 10 and 15 feet above ground in the foliage of either evergreen or broad-leafed trees. In Iowa, Constantine found hoary bats in elm, box elder, black cherry, plum, and osage orange trees. Hoary bats tend to select sites at the edge of a grove and usually use the periphery of the foliage as hanging places. In addition to trees, hoary bats have been reported in a woodpecker hole, in the leaf nest of a gray squirrel, under a piece of driftwood, but rarely inside of buildings. Although they have been found in caves, there is no real evidence that they are used for prolonged shelter. Hoary bats forage about tree tops, along streams and lake shores, and in urban areas where shade trees abound.

Associates: The only time hoary bats appear to associate with other species is while they are feeding or drinking during summer flights. In mist nets stretched across a wooded sector of the Thornapple River in Eaton County, Kurta captured hoary bats in company with Keen's bat, the little brown bat, big brown bat, silver-haired bat, and red bat.

Food Habits: The hoary bat's diet appears to be chiefly moths, with smaller numbers of flies, beetles, small wasps and relatives, and other insects.