Silver-Haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)


Group	Bats
Code	AMACC02010
Order	Chiroptera
Family	Vespertilionidae
Author	(Le Conte, 1831)
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 and Roosting Habitat Requirements may be distributed across the NEIGHBORHOOD

Foraging Habitat 1st alternative:
      (Any Upland Deciduous (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Upland Mixed (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Forested Lowland (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
   adjacent to:
      Edge
      or (Pond or River)

Foraging Habitat 2nd alternative:
      (Any Upland Deciduous (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Upland Mixed (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Forested Lowland (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
   containing:
      Stand/Gap Openings

Roosting Habitat:
      (Any Upland Deciduous (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Upland Mixed (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Forested Lowland (Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
   containing:
      (Snags or 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	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	Pond, River
Special Features	Snags, 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.
Although it occasionally strays into buildings, this bat most often seeks shelter in tree hollows, underneath loose bark, or in narrow folds of heavily furrowed bark. It roosts 3-16 ft above the ground. The silver-haired bat seems particularly fond of willow trees but uses maple or ash trees as well.

The silver-haired bat is an early flier that forages over woodland ponds and streams or in small forest clearings. It is highly maneuverable, and its flight is so slow that one might mistake it for a huge moth. Flies, beetles and moths are common prey items, but the silver-haired bat feeds opportunistically on any patch of insects it comes across. The species avoids foraging in areas where the larger big brown bat is abundant.

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: Forested areas near lakes or streams. Roosts in foliage of trees, in tree cavities and under loose bark as well as in buildings or caves. Frequently found in coniferous forests of mountains.

Special Habitat Requirements: Dead trees with loose bark or cavities for summer roosting sites, water courses.

Baker, R. H. 1983. Michigan Mammals. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, MI. 642 pp.
Habitat Preferences: Foraging along wooded streams is a major activity of the silver-haired bat in the summer twilight and night. Its attraction to both the cold water streams of northern Michigan and the warmer ones in southern Michigan is thought to be emerging aquatic insects.

After nightly foraging, this bat spends the daytime in seclusion in such retreats as tree hollows, bulky bird nests, under loose bark, in hollow snags, sometimes in cabins and other buildings, in woodpecker holes, and even under piles of brush.

In winter, silver-haired bats usually join in groups containing both sexes and migrate to hibernation sites in more southern parts of their range. The bats have been found in cold weather retreats such as under loose bark, in tree holes, in caves, in cracks in sandstone ledges, in various kinds of buildings, in mines, in the folds of a bathroom shower curtain, and in the access passage of a root cellar.