8 Types of Bats In Iowa! (ID GUIDE)
How can anyone in Iowa think that bats are scary?
Despite what you see in the movies, these fascinating flying mammals wouldn’t hurt a fly! Well, technically, they would hurt a fly, or a mosquito, or a moth. But other than that, bats are harmless. 🙂
It’s hard to believe the diversity and amount of bat species that can be found in Iowa! But, unfortunately, when you see a bat, it’s typically pretty difficult to determine which kind it is. These nocturnal creatures fly incredibly fast and are only active at night.
8 kinds of bats in Iowa:
#1. Big Brown Bat
- Eptesicus fuscus
- It is a larger bat with around a 12-inch (30 cm) wingspan.
- Brown fur with black ears, wings, and feet. Wings are hairless.
Big Brown Bats are among the most common bats in Iowa.
If you look, you’ll find these bats inside caves, tunnels, or other human structures.
Big Brown Bat Range Map
This nocturnal bat primarily eats insects, especially ones that fly at night. However, their preference is to eat beetles.
The Cucumber Beetle is their favorite, which benefits farmers because these insects are terrible pests for agriculture. Many farmers in Iowa even use bat boxes to attract Big Brown Bats to their property!
Interestingly, many Big Brown Bats have immunity to rabies. Researchers discovered that these rabies antibodies get passed down from generation to generation!
#2. Hoary Bat
- Lasiurus cinereus
- Brown hair with grayish-white tips. Wings and belly are brown and hairless, with a wingspan of approximately 15.5 inches (39 cm).
- Males are almost double the size of females.
You’ll typically find Hoary Bats in Iowa roosting on trees in woodland forests. They are solitary bats that roost in open foliage. They do form “flocks” when migrating south in late summer, but they don’t hang out with other bats normally.
Hoary Bat Range Map
This species prefers to hunt for prey while flying over wide-open areas or lakes. Hoary Bats hunt alone and enjoy eating moths. They’re known to travel up to 24 miles (39 km) in a single night to gather food!
Though the Hoary Bat is not endangered, it does suffer a loss in numbers because of wind turbines. Hoarys migrate each year back and forth from North America to Central America, and it’s thought that they confuse the wind turbine with a tree as they seek a place to rest.
#3. Silver-haired Bat
- Lasionycteris noctivagans
- Medium-sized with a flathead. The upper part of the tail is covered in thick fur.
- Mostly black all over with white tips on hairs, with a wingspan of approximately 11.5 inches (29 cm).
This species is known to fly more slowly than other bats in Iowa.
Look for Silver-haired Bats in forests inside tree cavities or bark crevices. They’ve also been known to seek shelter in outbuildings.
Silver-haired Bat Range Map
Silver-haired Bats hunt for soft-bodied insects, such as moths. Interestingly, they also eat a lot of spiders. They accomplish this feat by foraging low to the ground to find food, unlike many other bats.
#4. Little Brown Bat
- Myotis lucifugus
- Glossy brown fur on the body. Wings are hairless and black, with a wingspan of approximately 10 inches (25 cm).
- Despite its name, it has no connection to the Big Brown Bat.
Look for the Little Brown Bat roosting in Iowa in sheltered places such as human structures, woodpiles, tree hollows, and occasionally caves.
You can even attract Little Brown Bats to your yard! Many people put up bat houses to attract them to their property to control pests like mosquitos or insects that harm crops.
- RELATED: The 7 BEST Bat Houses For Sale! (All price ranges)
Little Brown Bat Range Map
Distribution of all little brown bat subspecies: M. l. lucifugus (red), M. l. pernox (green), M. l. alascensis (blue), M. l. carissima (yellow), M. l. relictus (gray)
Little Brown Bats only have a few natural predators, like owls or raccoons. Unfortunately, most of their mortality is caused by parasites or White-nose syndrome.
White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that grows around the bats’ mouths, ears, and wings. This illness is spread during hibernation and is responsible for the loss of over one million Little Brown Bats between 2006 and 2011. As of 2018, the Little Brown Bat is an endangered species.
#5. Eastern Red Bat
- Lasiurus borealis
- Medium-sized tree bat with thick, long fur. Ears are short and round. Wings are long, pointed, and have a wingspan of approximately 13 inches (33 cm).
- Males have distinctive rusty red-colored fur, and females have more of a soft shade of red.
- Both have white patches of fur on their shoulder.
Eastern Red Bats like to roost in trees in Iowa.
These bats are relatively fast flyers with good maneuverability. They are insectivorous, which means they prey primarily on different insects, with their favorite being moths.
Eastern Red Bat Range Map
Unlike most bats that only produce one offspring, Eastern Red Bats have three pups in a litter.
Eastern Red Bats have few predators. However, sometimes hawks, aggressive Blue Jays, and crows attack them. This bat is also killed by flying into cars or wind turbines. Unfortunately, this species has the second-highest mortality rate from wind turbines.
#6. Tricolored Bat
- Perimyotis subflavus
- Small bat with blond hair on the chest. Their wingspan is approximately 9 inches (23 cm).
- The “tricolor” name comes from the coloration of the three distinct bands of hairs on their back: dark gray on the bottom, yellowish-brown in the middle, and brown or reddish-brown on top.
- Formerly known as the Eastern Pipistrelle.
This species is the smallest bat found in Iowa!
Despite their small stature, Tricolored Bats can live to be 15 years old, which is a long time for bats! And interestingly, Tricolored Bats mate in the fall, but the female stores the sperm and doesn’t become pregnant until spring.
Tricolored Bat Range Map
Did you know the Tricolored Bat’s natural predators include many birds of prey, snakes, skunks, other bats, and Northern Leopard Frogs? It’s crazy to think of a frog eating a bat, but it shows how tiny these mammals are!
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Related Article: Types of Frogs in Iowa!
Tricolored Bats used to be considered one of the most common bats around. But, unfortunately, their numbers have been decimated by White-nose syndrome. It’s thought that 70% of their population has succumbed to this fungal disease.
#7. Northern Long-eared Bat
- Myotis septentrionalis
- Fur and wing membranes are tan, with black ears and black wings: long tail and a wingspan up to 10 inches (25 cm).
- Look for their long, pointed ears.
- Also called the Northern Myotis.
Northern Long-eared Bats are found in Iowa in forested habitats with spruce and pine trees. They typically roost in trees during the summer and switch to a new roost every other day. In the fall, these bats migrate to caves to hibernate with other species of bats.
Northern Long-eared Bat Range Map
Northern Long-eared Bats have incredibly accurate echolocation calls, which helps them navigate their dense forest environments.
Unlike most bats, Northern Long-eared Bats capture their prey by plucking them from a surface rather than catching them in flight. They eat insects, with moths being their favorite.
Sadly, the Northern Long-eared Bat has been threatened by White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that kills many bats. This disease has decreased their population by 99%. Click play to learn more below!
#8. Evening Bat
- Nycticeius humeralis
- Smaller bat with a prominent dog-like jaw.
- Most are dark brown with black muzzle, ears, legs, and wings, but some are lighter brown. Their wingspan is approximately 10.5 inches (27 cm).
Evening Bats have a shorter life span than other bats in Iowa.
Most only live for four years, but some are lucky enough to make it to six years.
Evening Bat Range Map
But luckily, they have largely avoided the dreaded White-nose syndrome, a terrible disease that has killed millions of bats over the years. They have managed this because they don’t enter or hibernate in caves.
Look for Evening Bats roosting in structures, including tree cavities, under bark, in Spanish moss, and in buildings. They eat various insects, including beetles, moths, winged ants, and flies.
Do you need additional help identifying bats in Iowa?
If so, this field guide should be able to help you.
Which of these bats have you seen before in Iowa?
Leave a comment below!
Check out my other guides about animals in Iowa!
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Owl Species That Live in Iowa!
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Common Spiders Found in Iowa! (Includes venomous species)
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Common Butterflies Found in Iowa!
